No, these choices are not really competitors for each other. I don't mind having only 2 choices if they were just comcast and optimum or at&t and verizon. I think you are confusing between choices and competitors. dslextreme is a competitor to verizon and thats what will keep verizon delivering better service. But if verizon and optimum are the only choices (with prices fixed) , none will work to make it better for the consumer. And lack of competition is the reason why these companies are jacking up prices.