While high speed tiers catering to so-called "bandwidth hogs" are now more common, many cable companies are looking at 3Mbps as the downstream speed on their standard broadband offerings. --

In 2001, a new term bubbled it's way to the surface of the marketing landscape: "bandwidth hogs". These were users that gobbled up more than their fair share of regional bandwidth at the expense, so the cable companies proclaimed, of their less bandwidth hungry neighbors. The predominant poison of these bandwidth gluttons was peer to peer file trading. Despite large volumes of pomp and circumstance from PR departments, the grainy postage stamp size film previews being passed off as "high speed content" simply weren't that bandwidth intensive; file trading would take the blame.

To engage in battle with these new enemies, download caps and cable speed tiers emerged, classifying users into categories based on bandwidth consumption. Grannies who checked their e-mail twice a week and spent 10 minutes at Weather.com could be ushered into the basic tiers, while those downloading gigabytes worth of film and music could be convinced to pay more for their gluttony.

While some argued that the caps and limitations were a necessary evil, some passed the term "bandwidth hog" off as a PR department created myth; something designed to fill the cable industry coffers (as if price increases clocking in at five and a half times the rate of inflation weren't doing that already).

The goal, according to Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, was to "monetize bandwidth", and "charge a toll for every bit". While tinged with a little too much gloom and doom for an industry that will grow regardless of what shackles it's placed in, his report on the myth of bandwidth hogs is worth a read.

Other than general grumbling, only in extreme cases did consumers stand up and complain. Companies like NTL imposed gig a day restrictions without telling their customers because, as one executive put it, they "weren't tech enough to understand". Australian provider Telstra ran into problems when they imposed a bandwidth meter that simply didn't work. Bell Sympatico perhaps received the most slack, when thousands of users petitioned against the company's bandwidth crackdown.

It wasn't long before the complaints died down and consumers accepted bit caps and speed tiers as par for the broadband course. Bell Sympatico helped its case by eventually raising their base downstream speeds from 1 to 1.5Mbps, and abolishing bit caps altogether this past July. Over the past six months, the noose has loosened slightly across the cable industry as a whole, with a variety of providers finally giving something back to consumers, who've been paying progressively more while getting little to show for it.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts promised that 3Mbps would be the standard, and so far his promises appear to be coming true. The company has been testing the higher speeds in a variety of markets. According to Comcast spokeswoman Sarah Eder, who recently spoke to CNet, the trials exist to "determine how the change affects the network, how users value increased speeds and to help us develop the broadband experience for the future." Reality sings a different tune however. With cable executives facing bell price cuts and unwilling to reduce profit margins, they need to throw consumers a bone. Doubling their downstream speeds is a good start.

Montreal based Cogeco is also speeding things up for their cable broadband customers. The company announced last week they'd be increasing downstream speeds from 2 to 3Mbps for all 1.9 million of their cable customers. Even Northern Virginia, a running candidate for the worst broadband service in the country under Cox Communications, is witnessing speed increases to 3Mbps.

It would appear for the time being that 3Mbps is becoming the standard flavor for cable broadband in their continuing battle to fend off the Bells. But for every provider raising their speeds and loosening the bit cap noose, there are many more that insist on charging more, for less (or a little more at great cost); then pitching their offer as a broadband revolution.

BellSouth's marketing department has a bridge to sell you after you're done signing up for their 256/128Kbps "lite" tier for $40 a month. Roadrunner believes you'll be very happy paying $80-$100 dollars a month for 3Mbps, and is conducting trials for their "Xtreme tier." In addition to speeds many providers offer for less, you'll get the privilege of being yelled at less frequently for being a bandwidth hog.

Doubling the standard speed of broadband service is a long overdue treat for customers who have been facing an endless sea of rate hikes. Still, the majority of the young broadband industry seems to believe that the majority of their potential customers have fat wallets and a skewed sense of value.