Cable rocks in my area. My home cable connection is, on average, 5 times faster then my employer's business class DSL (768 up/down). Even on the upstrem I am a little bit faster. I don't know if this helps in England ( I'm guessing, you said *flat*) but try
www.dslreports.com and see if they have any information on isp's in your area.
BIG kev
