Just How Fast Is Broadband, Really?

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the good-question... dept

With American consumers beginning to realize the value of having broadband connections to the home, PC World is raising the question of just how fast is a broadband connection, really? While everyone who offers DSL or cable modem service (or a few of the alternatives) likes to claim “high speed internet access”, the actual delivery speeds vary drastically. DSL tends to be slower than cable modem offerings, but it really varies tremendously depending on where you are and who your provider is. Of course, now that broadband companies are starting to experiment with tiered pricing, this may become more of an issue. Previously, most people were just happy to have an always-on connection that was noticeably faster than their dialup connection. I don’t think most non-geek consumers cared too much about the exact speed of their connection. Now, however, when you might be able to get a big discount for dropping your connection speed, the high speed internet access companies may be calling attention to something they wish they hadn’t. If I’m paying specifically for a certain speed level – then I’m going to be much more conscious of whether or not I’m actually getting that service level.