When talking about high-speed or broadband Internet, the differentiating feature of cable Internet is that it rides on a cable TV network. Your distance to the local cable TV service provider’s CMTS doesn’t affect Internet speed. Besides cable Internet, other forms of high-speed access are DSL, fiber optic, and satellite.

DSL service provides Internet access with the help of unused telephone lines. Unlike dial-up, this setup does not interrupt your phone service. However, the Internet speed slows down the farther you are from the provider’s switching station.