Question about my dsl service and what they offer.?

Question

In my dsl service's page in the phone book it says they offer
up/down monthly
256/128 39.95$
512/256 49.95$
768/512 59.95$

i am paying for the 256/128 one. they like to call their service "Xtreme DSL" in the phone book. but there is nothing "Xtreme" about it i only download at 50 kb/sec. unless the 256/128 is in kbps. and if they mean 256 kbps and 128 kbps u gotta divide it by 8 to get kb/sec. when i divide 256 kbps by 8 i get 32 kb/sec which doesnt make sense cuz im getting 50 kb/sec so they must mean 256 kb/sec 128 kb/sec download and upload correct? well how come i am not getting this speed when i download files??? and i download from lots of diff sites and i never once have gotten more than 50 kb/sec on a download ever. i need to know what do, should i complain? tell me please.

i like to mention that they are the only high speed internet service in my area and not everyone can get diff dsl if its not in their area.I cant switch to another service cuz i live in a shitty town and they are the only ones in my area that offer dsl.PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME TO SPEED TESTS SITES I BEEN TO THEM ALREADY I JUST WANT A DAMN ANSWER TO MY QUESTION.here are my speakeasy speed test results

Download Speed: 411 kbps (50.1 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 161 kbps (20.1 KB/sec transfer rate)

ok ok but can they really charge 40$ for this piece of **** speed??????????? what really pisses me off is what they charge. thats my main problem, i dont think 50 kb/sec is worth 40$ i think 100 kb/sec is worth 40$. i know ppl paying 20$ and have 92 kb/sec. i mean wtf? that just makes me even more mad!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

The 256/128 is in kilobits per second (kbps).

Your speed test results are in kilobytes per second (KBps).

If you are getting 50 KBps download, this equals 400 kbps so you are actualy getting faster downloads than what you are paying for. Be happy.

Answer 2

Already explained, their upload speed (whoever your downloading from) is limiting your download. As far as speed, you will never get the speed that the telco advertises. Long story short, rules and regulations wont permit it and the electronic equipment wont permit it. If you have a piece of cable (in this case POTS lines or plain old telephone service lines) the line is run along with other peoples telephone lines. The Telco who maintains the lines knows that EMI (electromagnetic interference) will effect signal quality, which effects your dsl speed. Better signal to noise ratio, the less packet loss, the more acknowledgements, the faster the download.

Answer 3

I have a similar delemma -- only one ISP to choose from and they screw EVERYONE. Currently I'm subscribed to a 750k/750k package for $50/month. Pathetically slow from my connection in Minneapolis ( 30Mbps/15Mbps for $35 a month) I wish the government would regulate the monopoly 5hitty ISPs [telephone companies] have.