Consumers In The Dark Over Their Broadband Speeds

Experts say the broadband speeds consumers experience at home are typically 10 percent to 20 percent below the limit that they pay for.

"With broadband, we have allowed ourselves to get into the equivalent of a legitimized con game," says Craig Settles, an industry consultant based in Oakland, Calif. "All of the advertised speeds are speeds that you can't be sure you would get on an average day. It is a theoretical ceiling, if you will, and baseline."

In other words, that 6 megabit DSL connection that you just bought has a potential maximum of 6 megabits. But it's almost certain that you're going to be 10 percent or 20 percent below that limit. Fortunately, there are Web sites like Speedtest.net that you can use to analyze your Internet connection.