i am thinking about getting the at&t blackberry bold with tethering data plan. if i do, to make up for the cost i would get rid of my cable modem line. i asked the rep and she said the tethering speed is 1.3 mega bits per second. i use the internet mainly for netflix, hulu, and music. would i notice a diff. in speed with these? and is tethering inconvenient? also, would my phone be on all the time and wear out quickly?

if there was a data outage (which happens more with bb's data than a cable line does) you wont have internet access.
it would be slower than the internet, as despite what they tell you, you wont always get that speed.

occasional tethering can be useful, but i wouldn't recommend it for a full use.

Also keep in mind that these "unlimited" data plans often have limitations. Referred to as "fair use" or "reasonable use" limitations, they basically say it's unlimited unless you abuse it. If they feel your data usage is excessive they can terminate your cell service entirely.

Yeah don't rely on tethering as a replacement for a cable line modem.

Tethereing is not worth cancelling your ISP service. Your cabel modem should have no restrictions on what you download but your carrier may have other concerns, especially the huge amount of data that gamers and movie afficianados use.