Re: @Daniel B
While contention can get you out from serving 100% all the time, having data rates dip to 20% most of the time should be frowned upon. I don't expect my current 10Mbps DSL to run at 10Mbps all the time, but neither do I expect it to run at 2Mbps most of the time. Especially when they're offering 3Mbps packages at less than half the price I'm currently paying for 10Mbps.
I think ISPs should come forward with both the "up to X" and a guaranteed minimum rate for their offerings. Give the end user a choice between "highly contended" and "low contention" and they might be surprised at the number of people that will pony up extra cash to get guaranteed fat pipes. As another commenter stated, most telcos won't serve business links to residential areas.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
