Internet Connection Rate and Throughput Relations

Internet connection rate and throughput, is almost never the same. Mostly the two are not even close. Data is sent from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to several users connected to the network, seemingly at the same time. Since server (host computer) time is divided between all the connected parties, by a process called multiplexing, each customer is fed at higher data rates for a fraction of the available total connection time.

The end result can be from close to nothing to upwards of hundreds of Kilobytes per minutes. Many ISP's heavily promote their super fast service by relentless, unscrupulous and untrue advertisements. It is no wonder then - what most users assume - that only the telephone lines capacity or their modems maximum speed would limit the number of bytes they could receive. They also believe that the ISP's are killing themselves, to supply as much data as the established connection speed allows.

Sadly, most ISP's operates like some well-known amusement parks. Once they have your money, they quickly loose interest to deliver too much data. After all why bother, you prepaid already. Until ISP's receive their money based on the actual metered quantity of traffic delivered, like they do in many parts of Europe, very little change may be expected.

The defrauding of the ignorant public by the ISP's will happily continue. And since Uncle Sam is receiving a piece of this ill obtained revenue, there is not much interest there to protect the citizenry. If it bothers you, write to your legislators and demand pay for performance law to regulate Internet throughput. Since utilities are regulated and ISP's are Internet utilities, it would be logical to see some changes.