High Speed Internet

For most people, having a fast Internet connection is a way of life, especially if you're into speed-intensive applications, like gaming or downloading files. Running a website is no different, but recently, the options available in choosing a High Speed Internet service provider are growing increasingly unattractive.

In the United States, the term "High Speed Internet" typically applies to one of four services:

1. A Dedicated/Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, with 3.0 Mb / 768 Kb speeds.
2. A Shared Cable Broadband Speed, with 6.0 / 768 Kb speeds.
3. Shared Fiber Optic, with 30 Mb / 10 Mb speeds.
4. Dedicated Fiber Optic, with 50 Mb / 20 Mb speeds.

For most people, DSL or Cable Internet are the two major options available. Fiber Optic Service, or FiOS, is just emerging as a viable high speed replacement to the now decade-old DSL and Cable Internet, but its availability is spotty. It leaves most users stuck with a single cable company, and in my case, as is the case in much of Metropolitan Boston, it is Comcast, whose shoddy infrastructure is only rivaled by its horrible customer service. It is disappointing, if only because when Comcast's Internet service works -- thanks to its newly upgraded infrastructure (to shared fiber optic) in metropolitan areas intended to block a major offensive by Verizon FiOS (dedicated fiber optic) -- it is actually a high quality broadband connection, as my Speedtest.Net results show below.



So, how about all of you? What sort of high speed Internet access do you have, and how do you feel about its performance?