Netgear Cable Modem CM500 to Netgear Nighthawk R6700-AC1750 router for Centurylink DSL?

Hello.

I currently have Centurylink DSL in my home and, at this time, cannot switch to Verizon LTE or anyone else more reliable.  For the last couple of weeks, DSL has been pathetic.  When contacted, I was told it was my Centurylink PK5001z modem/router and was pushed to replace it.  Funny thing is, everyone in the area had the outage and it finally came back on today.  This made me question the problem. 

I've been looking at a replacement that is secure and has some defesnes that I cannot find mentioned on my current unit.  From what I can understand, the CM500V bridged to a R6700 will secure my system well, though not as well as possible for a higher cost.  I'm not a major gamer or anything and speeds are around 10mbs currently, which is fine. 

However, Centurylink claims that only a few modems work at they are all very expensive and do not suggest any security like bitdefender or parental controls. 

Will the CM500 and R6700 set up work with Centurylink?  I have heard nothing but good about Netgear from others, but not Centurylink who say it's not compatable. 

I'm afraid I'm not into computers, gaming, or WiFi as much as most today are so I don't know much about the systems and how they work.  I do, in my opinion, think I rely too much on providers like Centurylik to look after my set up when they care more about sales.  Trying to break free here.