Does the author realize that the actiontec router can be disabled and used just like a cable modem? That's what I do at home and use a WRT54G instead. I also use opendns instead of Verizon's DNS servers. Latency is pretty low for me.
Consider the Level 3 dns servers: 4.1.1.1 - 4.1.1.6
1. Switch to different nameservers. 2. Don't use the fucking actiontec as a router.
All that remains is his complaints about slowly degrading performance, and assuming that's true, my experiences with cable modems are seriously not any better.
I've given up on ever having a reliable connection at home.