Abstract:
A temporary Internet bandwidth increase is provided. A speed preview interface is presented for obtaining a request for an Internet bandwidth increase from a customer. The eligibility of the customer for the requested increase of the Internet bandwidth is verified. The increase of Internet bandwidth for the customer is provisioned for a predetermined period of time based on the verification of eligibility of the customer. The predetermined period of time may be a temporary fixed period of time or a period of time based on billing status. When the predetermined period of time is a temporary fixed period of time, the increase in Internet bandwidth is terminated after lapse of the temporary fixed period of time.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/466,863, filed May 15, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/144,967, filed Jan. 15, 2009, which both are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This disclosure relates in general to providing telecommunications customers temporary access to enhanced services, and more particularly to providing telecommunications customers temporary Internet speed increases as an enticement for upgrading to a higher tier of service. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    On the Internet, many paths may exist between a given pair of nodes. The total message-carrying capacity (bandwidth) between two given nodes is the maximum amount of data per unit time that can be transmitted from one node to the other. Using a technique called packet switching, this data can be transmitted along several paths at the same time. 
         [0004]    Service providers may provide their subscribers with various services including multimedia services by which subscribers obtain television and other multimedia content for viewing, data services such as Internet access, and telephony services including local, long distance, and/or video conferencing telephone services. In a bundled scenario, a provider may deliver two or more of these services to subscribers over an access network physical layer that is common to the bundled services. 
         [0005]    However, applications and services continue to be developed to drive consumers demand for increases in Internet bandwidth. For example, the escalating popularity of social networking sites and the emergence of high-bandwidth applications, such as voice and video, act to increase consumer demand. Video downloads and transmissions are the most bandwidth intensive, wherein a video download may consume 8 to 10 times the bandwidth required for voice or music. 
         [0006]    Further, products are increasingly becoming available to allow consumers to link their broadband audio, video, and data downloads to electronic devices and gadgets throughout their home. In a networked home, cable modems, digital video recorders (DVR), voice over IP (VoIP) systems, personal computers, and TVs are all linked. As each of the latest digital entertainment services come on line, the need for bandwidth further increases. 
         [0007]    To fully take advantage of the new capabilities, consumers must upgrade to higher tiered services and packages. However, most customers have difficulty in concretely identifying rates of data throughput. Thus, to increase revenue by enticing users to switch to higher tiers of service, a way to provide temporary Internet speed increases to customers is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    To overcome the limitations described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, embodiments for providing telecommunications customers temporary Internet speed increases as an enticement for upgrading to a higher tier of services is disclosed. 
         [0009]    The above-described problems are solved by presenting a user a Speed Preview interface that allows customers with a first tier of service to request a faster tier for a limited time. PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) is used to change the speed on a customer&#39;s modem on the fly. 
         [0010]    An embodiment includes a method that provides a temporary Internet bandwidth increase. The method includes presenting a speed preview interface for obtaining a request for an Internet bandwidth increase from a customer, verifying eligibility of the customer for the requested increase of the Internet bandwidth and provisioning the increase of Internet bandwidth for the customer for a predetermined period of time based on the verification of eligibility of the customer. 
         [0011]    In another embodiment, a system for providing a temporary Internet bandwidth increase is disclosed. The system includes a portal for presenting a speed preview interface for obtaining a request for an Internet bandwidth increase from customer, a middleware platform, coupled to the portal, for receiving the request for the Internet bandwidth increase from the customer and verifying eligibility of the customer for the requested increase of the Internet bandwidth and a cable modem termination system, coupled to a PCMM policy server and application manager servers, for provisioning the increase of Internet bandwidth for the customer for a predetermined period of time based on the verification of eligibility of the customer. 
         [0012]    A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, provides a temporary Internet bandwidth increase is disclosed. The computer readable medium includes instructions executable by the processor to present a speed preview interface for obtaining a request for an Internet bandwidth increase from a customer, verify eligibility of the customer for the requested increase of the Internet bandwidth and provision the increase of Internet bandwidth for the customer for a predetermined period of time based on the verification of eligibility of the customer. 
         [0013]    These and various other advantages and features of novelty are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the disclosed embodiments, the advantages, and the objects obtained, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described specific examples of the disclosed embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]    Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates the customer-initiated speed preview process according to one embodiment; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates the termination of speed preview process and returning to the subscriber&#39;s provisioned rate cap according to one embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  shows an architecture diagram of the different external systems that are used to provision the temporary speed increases according to one embodiment; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates the initial eligibility check according to one embodiment; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  shows the Internet Tools landing page screen that is displayed with the Speed Preview option according to one embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  shows the Speed Preview landing page screen according to one embodiment; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flow diagram for getting the price and speed information displayed on the Speed Preview landing page  700  according to one embodiment; 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  shows the Speed Preview activation wait page screen that is displayed while seven eligibility checks are being performed according to one embodiment; 
           [0023]      FIG. 9  illustrates the flow diagram of the seven eligibility checks performed for Speed Preview according to one embodiment; 
           [0024]      FIG. 10  illustrates the flow diagram of the Speed Preview Activation according to one embodiment; 
           [0025]      FIG. 11  shows the Activation Results Page according to one embodiment; 
           [0026]      FIG. 12  illustrates the flow diagram for the Activation Results according to one embodiment; 
           [0027]      FIG. 13  shows the Exceeded Limit Error Page according to one embodiment; 
           [0028]      FIG. 14  shows the Activation Error Page according to one embodiment displayed when eligibility checks are failed; 
           [0029]      FIG. 15  shows the confirmation screen according to one embodiment where the user reviews their order for accuracy, acknowledges terms and conditions and also the process for completing the upgrade and then upgrades from one tier to another; 
           [0030]      FIG. 16  shows the Upgrading Wait page that is displayed when the user clicks the Upgrade Now button in  FIG. 15  according to one embodiment; 
           [0031]      FIG. 17  illustrates the flow diagram for the Upgrade Request process according to one embodiment; 
           [0032]      FIG. 18  shows the Thank You page that is displayed if the upgrade request is accepted by the provisioning system according to one embodiment; 
           [0033]      FIG. 19  shows the Printer Friendly Upgrade Thank You page according to one embodiment; 
           [0034]      FIG. 20  shows the Speed Preview Processing Error page according to one embodiment; 
           [0035]      FIG. 21  shows the Speed Preview flow diagram according to one embodiment; 
           [0036]      FIG. 22  shows the Permanent Upgrade flow diagram according to one embodiment; and 
           [0037]      FIG. 23  illustrates a suitable computing environment for implementing a system as described above in  FIGS. 1-22  according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0038]    Embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing telecommunications customers temporary Internet speed increases as an enticement for upgrading to a higher tier of service. Speed Preview will allow customers with a first tier service to temporarily experience higher tier package speeds. Speed Preview uses PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) to temporarily change the speed on a customer&#39;s modem without requiring a reboot of the cable modem. Customers who meet certain eligibility requirements will be able to start a speed preview by logging into the service provider system and navigating to Internet Tools landing page. Customers will also have the chance to permanently upgrade to a higher tier right from the speed preview section of Internet Tools in the service provider system. 
         [0039]    When the customer clicks on a “Speed Preview” link, the back-end systems perform the checks necessary to determine if the customer is eligible for a speed preview trial. If the customer is not eligible, an error message is presented. If the customer is eligible, the service provider platform signals the PCMM application manager to request that a predetermined policy be applied. The PCMM application manager negotiates with the cable modem termination system (CMTS) to determine if sufficient bandwidth is available to support the request. If not, the service provider must be notified so an error message can be displayed to the customer. If bandwidth is available the request is granted, a service flow is established between the cable modem and CMTS, and the service provider is notified so that the customer is aware that their request has been fulfilled. 
         [0040]    Several systems are used to provision the temporary speed increases according to an embodiment of the invention. Service Broker, the middleware platform used for provisioning all High Speed Internet services, makes calls to various back-end systems using at least one predetermined procedure. Service Broker is used to query the SAMP Database for speed preview eligibility information, some customer account information and speed preview provisioning status information. Service Broker uses the Provisioning Automation Web Services (PAWS), a web services platform, to provision and de-provision speed preview offers. Information is collected from many back-end systems and business rules act on these data to determine eligibility for Speed Preview offers. Web services provide a way to access billing and account info. Web services are used to obtain account information such as the customer&#39;s address, obtain billing data such as whether or not the account is in good standing, obtain information about tier speeds and prices in different markets, create an upgrade order in the billing system, and provision the new service level. Device monitoring software manages the equipment at the “edge” of the high speed Internet network, including customer modems. The device monitoring software acts as the customer care front-end to the data warehousing application system. The data warehousing applications enable more informed business decisions and better customer care, with high performance and cost efficiencies. The device monitors connect to the backend servers of a data warehousing application and validate that cable modems meet or exceed the required DOCSIS standards for supporting the PCMM protocol and that the customer&#39;s cable modem is online. 
         [0041]      FIG. 1  illustrates the customer-initiated speed preview process  100  according to one embodiment. The customer  102  via a portal  110 , such as a personal computer, signs-on to the service provider network and clicks on a “Speed Preview” link. The portal server farm  112  is the back-end system that performs the checks necessary to determine if the customer is eligible for a speed preview trial. If the customer is eligible, the portal server farm  112  signals through the service provider platform  120  to request that a predetermined policy be applied. A PCMM application server  114 , which provides application management, relays the request from the portal server farm  112  to a PCMM policy server  116 . The PCMM policy server  116  determines if sufficient bandwidth is available to support the request. If sufficient bandwidth is available to support the request, the PCMM policy server  116  provisions the policies to a CMTS device  130 . A new service flow is established increasing the speed of the cable modem. 
         [0042]      FIG. 2  illustrates the termination of speed preview process  200  according to one embodiment. The customer  202  is utilizing the increased Internet bandwidth provided by cable modem  204  to portal  210 . However, when the trial period ends, the PCMM application server  214  instructs the PCMM policy server  216  to terminate the new service flow for providing the increased speed. The PCMM policy server  216  instructs the CMTS device  210  to terminate the new service flow. The CMTS device  210  signals the Cable Modem that the new service flow will be terminated. The subscriber  202  returns to the standard service flow provided by the CMTS  220 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 3  shows an architecture diagram of the different external systems  300  that are used to provision the temporary speed increases according to one embodiment. Service Broker  320  is the middleware platform used for provisioning all High Speed Internet services provided through the service provider  310 . The service provider  310  includes the PCMM servers  312  as well as provisioning the Internet tools  314 . Service Broker  320  makes calls to various systems to provision service. Direct calls to Service Broker from the service provider  310  are made using stored procedures. Service Broker is used to query a SAMP database  330  for speed preview eligibility information, some customer account information and speed preview provisioning status information. Service Broker uses the Provisioning Automation Web Services (PAWS)  340 , a web services platform to provision and de-provision speed preview. Information is collected from many back-end systems and business rules act on those data to determine eligibility for speed preview offers. Web services  350  are used to obtain account information such as the customer&#39;s address, obtain billing data such as whether or not the account is in good standing, obtain information about tier speeds and prices in different markets, create an upgrade order in the billing system, and provision the new service level. Device monitoring software  360  monitors and manages the equipment at the “edge” of the high speed Internet network, including customer modems. The device monitors connect to the backend servers of a data warehousing application and validate that cable modems meet or exceed the required DOCSIS standards for supporting the PCMM protocol and that the customer&#39;s cable modem is online. 
         [0044]      FIG. 4  illustrates the initial eligibility check  400  according to one embodiment. Before showing the Speed Preview sub-channel, the service provider must verify that the logged in customer is eligible for Speed Preview. The Speed Preview sub-channel is shown only if the subscriber  402  passes four initial eligibility checks. Check 1 is the user must be logged in using the “account holder” userID for the account. Checks 2 and 3 verify the site that the user is associated with is a Speed Preview enabled site and the user&#39;s current speed tier is eligible for Speed Preview in their market. Check 4 is the user has only one cable modem on their account. Check 1 is performed using the SAMP stored procedure Get_Email_Details  410 . This email account info is used to determine whether or not the user is logged into an account holder or authorized user  420 . Only account holder identities will see the Speed Preview options in Internet Tools. The portal  404  communicates with the Service Broker  406  to retrieve profile information from SAMP  408  using the Get_Account_Info stored procedure  430  for checks 2-4. 
         [0045]      FIG. 5  shows the Internet Tools landing page screen  500  that is displayed with the Speed Preview option according to one embodiment. Entitlements will be used to show or hide the speed preview links  510  and menu items  520  based on whether or not the logged in user passes the initial eligibility checks. Speed Preview options  510  are listed on the main Internet Tools landing page. 
         [0046]      FIG. 6  shows the Speed Preview landing page screen  600  according to one embodiment. This page displays a description of the Speed Preview service  610 , a matrix of market-specific tiers and speeds  620 , a list of eligibility checks to be performed  630 , an offer to upgrade to a higher speed now  640 . The user may select the Start Now button  650  for Speed Preview. If the user wants to permanently upgrade to the preferred service, the Upgrade Now button  660  may be selected. 
         [0047]      FIG. 7  illustrates a flow diagram for getting the price and speed information displayed on the Speed Preview landing page  700  according to one embodiment. Market specific price and speed information come from web services via SOAP calls  710 . Tier names, speeds, and prices  720  are stored in the session for later use. 
         [0048]      FIG. 8  shows the Speed Preview activation wait page screen  800  that is displayed while seven eligibility checks are being performed according to one embodiment. The bar  810  indicates the checks are being performed. After all the eligibility checks have been completed, the user is taken to one of three pages. If all of the eligibility checks succeeded, and the provisioning request was sent to PAWS, the Activation Results Page is displayed (see  FIG. 11 ). If checks 1 or 2 failed, the Exceeded Limit Error Page (see  FIG. 13 ) is displayed. The Activation Error Page (see  FIG. 14 ) is displayed if the user failed one of the checks 3-7. 
         [0049]    Table 1 describes each of the seven eligibility checks. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Eligibility 
                   
               
               
                 Check 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 Check 1 
                 The user has not activated a Speed Preview within the 
               
               
                   
                 last 30 days. 
               
               
                 Check 2 
                 The user has not used Speed Preview more than 6 times 
               
               
                   
                 in the previous year. 
               
               
                 Check 3 
                 The user has not violated the Acceptable Use Policy. 
               
               
                 Check 4 
                 The account is not on the Seasonal Saver plan. 
               
               
                 Check 5 
                 The account is in good standing. 
               
               
                 Check 6 
                 The cable modem associated with the account meets 
               
               
                   
                 DOCSIS 1.1 standards. 
               
               
                 Check 7 
                 The cable modem is online and there is a device with 
               
               
                   
                 an assigned IP address such as a router or PC. 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0050]      FIG. 9  illustrates the flow diagram of the seven eligibility checks  900  performed for Speed Preview according to one embodiment. Eligibility checks 1-4 are made through the SAMP  910  stored procedure Get_SP_Eligibility_Info signaling  912 . Eligibility check 5 is made through Web Services  920  via signaling  922 . An “InquireAccount” call is made to determine if the account is in good standing. Eligibility checks 6-7 are made through device monitoring module  930  via signaling  932 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 10  illustrates the flow diagram  1000  of the Speed Preview Activation according to one embodiment. The Portal  1010  receives the subscriber&#39;s request to start speed preview and sends the request to Service Broker  1020 . Service Broker uses Provisioning Automation Web Services (PAWS)  1030  to provision the Speed Preview request and then returns the response back to the Portal  1010 . The middleware module, e.g., Service Broker  1020 , acts as a gateway and communicates with the other systems. The Service Broker  1020  also provides data identifying the user and the services available to the user to Application Manager  1050 . The Application Manager  1050  communicates with the policy server  1052  to request a change to the current policy to provide an increase in bandwidth. The policy server  1052  controls allocated bandwidth for the user. The policy server  1052  allocates bandwidth according to a policy governing bandwidth subscribed to by the user and the available temporary speed increase. The policy server  1052  sends a request to the cable modem termination system (CMTS)  1054  to establish and terminate a new flow for providing faster bandwidth to the user for a period of time. 
         [0052]      FIG. 11  shows the Activation Results Page  1100  according to one embodiment. The Activation Results Page  1100  shows the current subscription tier and the speed preview subscription tier information  1110 . The Speed Preview status (active/processing), the Start/End dates, and the Time remaining are shown with the speed preview service information  1110 . Refreshing the page will update this information. The user may choose to permanently upgrade to the preview service tier  1120  by clicking the Upgrade Now Button  1130 . 
         [0053]      FIG. 12  illustrates the flow diagram for the Activation Results  1200  according to one embodiment. The customer&#39;s current tier and preview tier information are retrieved from SAMP via the Get Speed Preview Info request  1210 . For clarity, the Application Manager  1250 , Policy Server  1252  and CMTS  1254  are shown. 
         [0054]      FIG. 13  shows the Exceeded Limit Error Page  1300  according to one embodiment. An error message  1310  is displayed stating the service provided was unable to process Speed Preview. In addition, the exceeded limit reason and an offer to upgrade to Preferred  1320  is displayed. If the user wants to upgrade at the Internet Speed listed  1330 , the user my click the Upgrade Now button  1340 . 
         [0055]      FIG. 14  shows the Activation Error Page  1400  according to one embodiment displayed if any of the eligibility checks 3-7 are failed. The eligibility checks include the user violating the Acceptable Use Policy, having an account on the Seasonal Saver plan or not in good standing, and the cable modem not meeting DOCSIS 1.1 standards or being offline. The Activation Error Page  1400  displays and error message  1410  and lists which eligibility checks the user passed and which ones they failed  1420 . If the user wants to upgrade to preferred service at the Internet Speed listed  1430 , the user may click the Upgrade Now button  1440 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 15  shows the confirmation screen to permanently upgrade to a faster tier  1500  according to one embodiment where the user reviews their order for accuracy. An upgrade description  1510  and the terms and conditions  1520  are displayed. The user may confirm the order by selecting the Upgrade Now button  1530 . To cancel the order, the user may select the Cancel Order button  1540 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 16  shows the Upgrading Wait page  1600  that is displayed when the user clicks the Upgrade Now button (see  FIG. 15 ) according to one embodiment. The bar  1610  indicates to the user the upgrade is being processed. 
         [0058]      FIG. 17  illustrates the flow diagram for the Upgrading Wait page  1700  according to one embodiment. The portal  1710  sends the upgrade provisioning request to Web Services  1730  via Service Broker  1720 . If the upgrade is accepted by the provisioning system, an order number is returned with the response from Web Services  1730 . The Application Manager  1250 , Policy Server  1252  and CMTS  1254  provision the upgrade to the modem (not shown). 
         [0059]      FIG. 18  shows the Thank You page  1800  that is displayed if the upgrade request is accepted by the provisioning system according to one embodiment. The complete order information  1810  is displayed. The user may print the page by selecting Print Page  1820 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 19  shows the Printer Friendly Upgrade Thank You page  1900  according to one embodiment. The user may print the printer friendly version of the Thank You page (see  FIG. 18 ) by selecting Print Page  1910 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 20  shows the Speed Preview Processing Error page  2000  according to one embodiment. The screen displays an error message  2010  to let the user know the order was unable to be completed. 
         [0062]      FIG. 21  shows the Speed Preview flow diagram  2100  according to one embodiment. The subscriber begins the process by logging into Internet Tools  2110 . If the first eligibility checks  2115 ,  2116  are not passed, the speed preview links and sub-channel are hidden  2117 . 
         [0063]    If the first eligibility checks  2115 ,  2116  are passed, the Speed Preview links and sub-channel are displayed  2118 . The Speed Preview links are shown on the Internet Tools Landing page  2120 . The subscriber clicks the Speed Preview link  2125 . The product catalog speeds and prices are retrieved  2128 . If the retrieval of the catalog speeds and prices fails, the speed preview processing error page is displayed  2165 . If the retrieval of the catalog speeds and prices succeeds, the speed preview landing page is displayed  2130 . The subscriber clicks the Start Now button  2135  to show the Activation Wait page  2140 . Information for performing eligibility checks 1-4 is obtained  2145 . If the information for performing eligibility checks 1-4 is not retrieved, the speed preview processing error page is displayed  2165 . If the information for performing eligibility checks 1-4 is retrieved successfully, a determination is made whether the user meets the number of preview limits  2150 . If the user surpassed the limit on the number of speed previews within a set time period, the Exceeded Limit Error page is displayed  2155 . 
         [0064]    If the user did not surpass the limit on the number of speed previews within a set time period, information for performing eligibility check 5 is obtained  2151 . If the retrieval of the information for performing eligibility check 5 fails, the speed preview processing error page is displayed  2165 . If the retrieval of the information for performing eligibility check 5 succeeds, the information for performing eligibility check 6 is retrieved  2160 . If the retrieval of information for performing eligibility check 6 fails, the speed preview processing error page is displayed  2165 . If the retrieval of information for performing eligibility check 6 succeeds, a determination of whether the eligibility checks were met  2170  is performed. If not, the Activation Error page  2175  is displayed. If yes, the request for Speed Preview is sent to the provision services (PAWS)  2180 . PAWS  2180  communicates with the PCMM servers to provision the upgrade  2182 . If provisioning of the Speed Preview fails, the Speed Preview Processing Error page  2188  is displayed. If provisioning of the Speed Preview is successful, the speed preview information is retrieved  2185 . If the retrieval of the speed preview information fails, the Speed Preview Processing Error page  2188  is displayed. If the retrieval of the speed preview information succeeds, the Activation Results page  2190  is displayed. 
         [0065]      FIG. 22  shows the Permanent Upgrade flow diagram  2200  according to one embodiment. The subscriber clicks the Upgrade Now button to begin the process  2210 . From the Confirmation Page  2220  the user may click Upgrade Now  2230  or Cancel Order  2240  button. If the Cancel Order  2240  is selected and the Speed Preview is still active  2250 , the Activation Results Page is displayed  2260 , else the Speed Preview landing page  2265  is displayed. If the Upgrade Now  2230  is selected, the Upgrading Wait page  2270  is displayed. The upgrade is provisioned  2280 . If the upgrade is successful, the Upgrade Thank You page  2290  is displayed. Else, the Speed Preview Processing Error page  2295  is displayed. 
         [0066]      FIG. 23  illustrates a suitable computing environment  2300  for implementing a system as described above in  FIGS. 1-22  according to an embodiment. In  FIG. 23 , a system for provisioning a temporary bandwidth increase  2300  includes a processor  2320  and memory  2330 . Embodiments may also be implemented in combination with other types of computer systems and program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. By way of example, computer readable media  2390  can include computer storage media or other tangible media. Computer storage media  2390  includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information  2392 , such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. 
         [0067]    Embodiments implemented on computer-readable media  2390  may refer to a mass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive. However, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed or utilized by a processing device, e.g., server or communications network provider infrastructure. 
         [0068]    By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media  2390  may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (“DVD”), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by a processing device. 
         [0069]    As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored and arranged for controlling the operation of processing devices. Thus, one or more processing devices  2320  may be configured to execute instructions that perform the operations of embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0070]    It should also be appreciated that various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a processing device and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the processing devices. The implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements. Accordingly, logical operations including related algorithms can be referred to variously as operations, structural devices, acts or modules. It will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, firmware, special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims set forth herein. 
         [0071]    Memory  2330  thus may store the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processor  2320 , cause the processor  2320  to implement a system as illustrated above in  FIGS. 1-22  according to an embodiment of the invention. However, memory  2330  may also be configured to provide a database  2340  for storing information required for provisioning the temporary increase in bandwidth. A network manager  2350  may be implemented by the processor  2320  for monitoring and managing the high speed Internet network. 
         [0072]    The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.