How much bandwidth does the average consumer need? Well, according to the totally unbiased folks at America’s major Internet service providers, more than they’re probably using now. According to Time Warner, Grandma needs Roadrunner with PowerBoost in order for you to send her photos. And AT&T thinks you need at least 3 mpbs to use Facebook. What?

Our former colleagues at Gizmodo looked at the offerings of major ISPs, and how they sell different tiers of broadband. If you actually know anything about the Internet, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Besides the question of what “Powerboost” actually means, how accurate do you think these descriptions are? My Linux-torrenting, video-streaming household of three gets by just fine on 3 mbps RoadRunner, but clearly we’re deprived.

Basically Every ISP Is Trying to Scare You Into Paying for Internet You Don’t Need [Gizmodo]
AT&T’s Warped View of the Internet [Gizmodo]

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