ISPs Lie About Broadband "Up To" Speeds 547
Haffner writes "Ars Technica has an article detailing the difference between ISP advertised 'up to x Mbps' speeds and the actual speeds, in addition to some possible solutions. They find that on average, the advertised speeds were 'up to 6.7 Mbps' while the real median was 3 Mbps and the mean was 4 Mbps. This implies that ISPs were falsely advertising by at least 50%."
And I want their bandwidth... (Score:5, Funny)
You'd think that'd be a mutually beneficial arrangement of the sort that would make Adam Smith proud...
But no, it seems they want to keep my money and their bandwidth, so fuck 'em.
I'm running at 100 Percent (Score:5, Funny)
You don't say! (Score:5, Funny)
This is unbelievable! Next you're going to tell me that "3.9G wireless" doesn't mean anything, or that 9 out of 10 doctors don't recommend Crest, or that most items in an "up to 90% off!" sale are not in fact 90% off!
Sounds pretty paranoid to me. If we can't trust company advertisements for unbiased information, what can we trust?
ISP Welcome Kits (Score:3, Funny)
Up to 7Mbps! Improved flavor, now without trans fat!
The story is.. (Score:4, Funny)
Weight loss ad told me I could lose UP TO 50 lbs. I still need to request a seat-belt extender on airplanes
My employer said I could make UP TO a million dollars a year if the company does well. I am still driving a beat up Kia
And, worse of all, that nice email ad said I could increase my length UP TO 9 inches. My wife still has trouble finding it
Meh..
Why, send them a nice letter... (Score:5, Funny)
...tell them you will pay them "up to" the agreed on price for their service, but you will determine what the real sums involved will be.
Re:Sneaky, yes. Lies, not quite. (Score:3, Funny)
It would be a lot more honest to advertise the "at least" speed, but they don't want to do that because according to the fine print they are actually offering at least zero Mbps.
I wonder how they would feel if their customers offered to pay them up to $40/month.
Re:median and the mean (Score:3, Funny)
Come on, did you fail maths or something? If the median is 3 and the mean is 4, then the average is 3.5.
Re:So just what am I paying for? (Score:1, Funny)
Sometimes the "lying" goes both ways. My connection was advertised as up to 2Mbps. During peak times I'm lucky to get 200k, but offpeak I've seen it running at 9Mbps.
Sorry you have to hear it from me, but that is just porn that is already in your cache. It wasn't really downloading at that rate....
Re:It's not a lie (Score:4, Funny)
Would you expect to encounter 3 and 4 on your way up to 6.7?
Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to six point seven.
Re:Why, send them a nice letter... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Sneaky, yes. Lies, not quite. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:ISP's want your money... (Score:5, Funny)
FTFY.
Obligatory Penny Arcade (Score:4, Funny)