Who didn’t see this coming? The FCC does some checking and finds that ISPs are running at speeds up to 50% slower than being advertised. Not at all surprised when thinking of the cable options, I have found my FiOS, on the other hand, has been spot-on during peak and off-peak period. Clearly, there is something in the Verizon network here. Having had cable broadband in multiple locales, I can tell you that the news of the lack of speed is spot on with my experience.

But one thing everyone is dealing with is the lack of accessibility. While it is getting better, most rural people are still out of luck unless they consider using satellite, point to point solutions, or other WiMax type options. Let me tell you, about the only one of them that doesn’t stink is the point to point directional solution. And that is very rare.

So the challenge is twofold. First, more adoption is coming as more people are jumping on board, further taxing ancient cable networks who, at the end of the day, are still running copper to your house despite the hype you see on TV.

Second, access remains an issue as the market will not allow for expanded adoption unless there is a wireless means that will make providing this to rural areas financially worthwhile. The solution? Some say invest in more R&D, others say let the government run broadband as a utility. What say you?

[awsbullet:broadband cable internet service]