> Ironically, all this hassle caused me to start investigating cable, and it
> appears that can get far better service for $25 less per month. Hmmm....
> 

Depends on what you mean by "better". 
There has been discussion on TCLUG lists about how most cable companies
don't let you run services from your connection. That may or may not
matter to you, but it does to many. 

Then, except maybe on a per-company basis, and more likely on a per-case
basis, you have no reason to expect cable companies to be any better than
Qwest in terms of handling any problem at a technical level. I've heard
too many stories of network-savvy people calling their cable company to
report a problem and be told, "try turning off your computer for 3 hours". 

Andy