Bill's column in this issue describes the joys of cable modem speed and the attendant gotchas. Even though the installed base of cable modems is still relatively small, I've focused here on the wrenching changes that it will make on the Web. First, a few points of order. The cable industry is woefully undercapitalized. Cable modem service costs as much or more than the most expensive premium services offered by traditional ISPs, but their blazing speed is worth every penny.
Cable access changes all that.
Software downloads far more quickly than it would from a floppy disk. Streaming video is becoming more prevalent, especially on the news sites. Life is too short to try to do multimedia at 33.6. This idea, however, has not fully permeated the sensibilities of the content providers or the service providers. But then, in the next breath, the FAQ tells you that you're allocated only 5MB for your site.