Another thing you might consider is DSL. Cable modems have some security problems & bandwidth problems since you are sharing the connection to the Internet with everyone else in your neighborhood that has a cable modem. With DSL, you have a direct, dedicated connection to the Internet used only by you, through the phone company's central office. I am guaranteed 384K but almost always hook up at 1.5 mbps. It has been very consistent, slowed down only by lots of traffic on the web. My brother in-law, who has a cable modem, slows way down (below the speed of a 56K modem at times) in the evening when everyone else on his node is surfing the web. It does absolutely scream at 3 AM in the morning though.

Do get one or the other though, the difference is like night & day over a 56K modem. Below is a link to SW Bells website explaining the difference. I realize that it is slanted towards DSL since that is what they are trying to sell but it is a pretty accurate description.