thanks for the replies,
had forgotten about the "distance from the hub" thing, and no idea the distance where i am now. (will look around for the brown ATT enclosure).
as for cable reliability, imo, most issues by far are with the converter box, rather than the infrastructure.. (the box that no one should be forced to rent, but that's a govt for sale thing).
have had both UVerse and Comcast internet, and ATT was more reliable.
as for speeds, most speeds today are ridiculously beyond what most people need who aren't gamers or running a business out of their home.
HD video does great with 6 meg or less, and 4k only needs like 25 iirc. (not that i have anything 4k yet).
beyond me why anyone other than gamers needs more than 25 for personal use, (if anywhere near that), and i really hate how the industry has perverted prices so everyone who doesn't want some beyond ridiculous speed has to subsidize the cost for those that do.
Comcast basically forces you into their 70 meg speed if you bundle it with anything else, and virtually nobody needs anywhere near that. (probably 10 times what many people need).