You can oftentimes double your speed by changing some settings in Windows, go to dslreports.com
http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks
and
http://www.dslreports.com/stest/0
Download some of the tweaks there (almost all PC's are made for dial up connections, these tweaks change many registry settings).
Also, how are your download speeds?
I used to have DSL, downloads usually around 50k/s, with my Cable I get 200-250k/s on the average, so yes, I consider it 4 times faster (but that depends on your provider, among a few other factors).
Also, even with my connection there are not a lot of servers where my ping is below 100.
Download this program:
http://www.udpsoft.com/eye/
It's much better than gamespy, and helps you find the best servers. Just click on 'ping' and select the servers with the best pings. Maybe you're just joining 'any' server. Don't.