C7000 and C3700 take 30 mins + to lock upstream and connect to internet

I upgraded speeds a year ago and needed to upgrade my modem.  I had used a linsky router and Motorola surfboard for years, and I mean YEARS. 

I purchased a C3700 modem/router combo.  Upon modem activation with my ISP the modem took about 30 mins to finally connect.  The tech support stated they could instantly see the modem, it just was slow to connect.  The tech was patient and we tried resetting the new modem, and trying different connections and each time it was rebooted it would take 25-30 mins to stop blinking the upstream light and connect to the internet.  The downstream light would lock immediately.  

It was suggested since the old Motorola surfboad was connecting within 30 secs to swap the modem for a new one.

After swapping, I called to activate and it did the SAME thing.  Power rarely goes out here, and I am lucky to have stable internet connections, so I dealt with it.  Over time, it would only take about 5-10 minutes when I had to reboot so no big deal.  I assumed it was a model flaw.

Last week I was doing some work in the house, and had to shut the modem down.  Upon boot up, it would not lock into an upstream channel or connect to the internet.  I called my ISP after letting it sit for a few hours and they stated they could no longer see the modem.  We reset the modem, shut it down and rebooted, tried different methods and it was determined it was dead, just a month over a year.  I swapped it out with the old Motorola surfboard and linksy router and it connected instantly.  I then went to get a new modem/router combo.  I decided to stick with Netgear despite the quick death and slow connection but wanted to try a more "premium" model, so I got the nighthawk C7000.

Upon activation, it does the SAME exact thing, just longer.  They see it immediately, it connects to a downstream pretty quick, but Upstream blinks from 30-45 mins.  They kept insisting this wasn't normal and after a lot of digging into my account couldn't come up with a solution and suggested I contact Netgear, so here I am.

Just for giggles I hauled a cord out to the main drop ( I actually have two, a nice tech a few years ago gave me an extra so I could have a dedicated drop for my modem and main HD TV) undid the connector and plugged it in direct.  It does the same thing, so that pretty much eliminates my lines in the home.

IT only ever locks in one upstream channel, sometimes it will have two listed, sometimes locked or not.

Any ideas?

I see this in the Event log a few times too, a long with some other Critical messages: