Interruptions and slowdowns in your Internet connection got you hopping mad? Welcome to the club. Spotty service was a major gripe cited by consumers in our recent national survey, annoying them significantly more than such everyday peeves as sitting in traffic jams and unreliable cell-phone service.

If your service is lousy, what can you do? Consider switching to another service. In our latest Ratings of a couple dozen broadband services (available to subscribers), several providers offered better reliability and speed than most of the others.

That presumes, of course, that you’ve got a choice of providers where you live. Unfortunately, in a recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 21 percent of home broadband users said that they had just one provider available, and just 17 percent reported a choice of at least four providers.

Lack of competition not only reduces incentives to improve service, but it can cost consumers: According to the Pew study, consumers served by just one provider paid nearly 40 percent more for service than did those who had four or more providers to choose from.

If you’re fortunate enough to have more than one provider in your area, check out the broadband service Ratings and ask neighbors about how satisfied they are with the competing services.

If you’ve found a way to escape subpar broadband service, post your experiences and advice for other consumers below. -Jeff Fox