Yes, things are getting better fairly quickly. In the last 10 years, using two different providers, my downstream has gone from 640kbps to 1.5mbps to 8mbps to 16mbps, and will soon go to 30 or 50mbps once Comcast rolls out DOCSIS 3.0 in north VA. All this for around $50 a month. Not bad at all for a duopoly.
The benefits of competition are apparent when you look at where speeds are highest. Comcast only offers up to 8mbps down in most places, but in areas where FiOS competes Comcast offers 16mbps down for the same price as 8mbps in other cities. And the telcos sticking with copper last-miles are the worst of the bunch, as their only real upgrade path is VDSL, which is expensive and doesn't work more than a mile and a half from the DSLAM.
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The benefits of competition are apparent when you look at where speeds are highest. Comcast only offers up to 8mbps down in most places, but in areas where FiOS competes Comcast offers 16mbps down for the same price as 8mbps in other cities. And the telcos sticking with copper last-miles are the worst of the bunch, as their only real upgrade path is VDSL, which is expensive and doesn't work more than a mile and a half from the DSLAM.