Mohtalim

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21376597/

What are my options for 4Mbit/s connections?

FIOS - their website has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the existence of my street address. I suppose I should call them, but it's an older building and I am not brimming with confidence.
WiFi - There's a pay service with good signal at our apartment, but they appear to demand a Windows client, which is no go. I suppose I should recheck
3G/WiMax - Verizon's service was $60/month and it didn't seem like they had a solution to allow sharing between two computers (or more). The wireless router+cable modem paradigm is really hard to shake. I don't know of a WiMax deployment
DSL - Qwest advertises 7Mbit/s for $37, but I'm sure one must pay for the phone line as well, which probably jacks it up to $60. Also, there's some intimation of MSN or something. I'm not sure whether I want traffic shaping or MSN less.

Anything I missed?

There exists the option of our original DSL provider, DSL Northwest which resells both Verizon and Qwest. Looks like $62-$67. I liked them a lot. Bit expensive, really. Dunno.

Okay, called Verizon and FIOS is right out. Really thinking DSL Northwest. They have a 5Mb/s for $62/mo and a 1.5Mb/s for $40, plus $5 for the voice line and maybe some for modem rental. I wonder if they have a modem purchase option.

It's all a question of how much a decent ISP is worth in dollars per month, because we're giving Comcast maybe $58-62 (after fees, etc.). So maybe $5-10 more for DSL. Hmm.

EFF confirms.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20 ... rence.html

Definitely gotta switch, so I'm thinking DSL Northwest.