CBC TV Marketplace did a brilliant investigation into how little of the promised “unlimited way fast” internet speed you actually get.

They compared the 4 major providers in Toronto. Certainly, I thought, hated TELUS would be worst. …

Actually, Bell was by far worst.

Are you getting the high-speed internet you’re paying for?

When the telephone and cable companies are trying to sell you internet access, speed is everything. Some promise speeds of “up to 8Mbps.” Some go as high as “up to 25Mbps.” But how well do they explain what those numbers mean?

Pay attention to two small but important words: “up to.” Sometimes they can be a shorthand way of saying “up to a theoretical maximum speed you may not actually experience, because your wires are old, or you have a lot of neighbours sharing the connection, or because we’re still upgrading our equipment in your area.”

You can see the TV show on-line: CBC.ca – Marketplace