Dunno about other TCL cable users, but I get great speeds across the Tasman to Sydney on my 10Mbps connection:

I've also noticed a huge improvement over the past few months in international speeds.
I agree that some international links are pretty slow, but I wouldn't blame that specifically on TCL.
OurFord - do you really get only 1Mbps on your 10Mbps connection? Maybe you should get your connection checked.