With the latest bit of bandwith-restriction news, I don't know why anyone would choose to get their high-speed Internet via the cable-TV pipe, rather than through DSL.

Now, a lot of people can't get DSL. My heart goes out to them. And Internet via the cable-TV fat pipe can be very fast. But there's a growing problem on the cable side of the fence. Companies increasingly want to charge you more, or restrict you at certain times, if you're a big downloader.

As CNET News.com reported today:

Starting Thursday, Comcast will test a new system that will throttle back or slow down traffic during times of congestion for heavy bandwidth users. The initial tests will be conducted in Chambersburg, Pa. and Warrenton, Va. Later this summer the company plans to expand testing to Colorado Springs, Colo.

Comcast, the largest cable provider in the U.S., has been under fire for months after it was discovered the company had been slowing down peer-to-peer traffic on its network. The company claimed it had singled out peer-to-peer, file-sharing traffic, because it was eating up an inordinate amount of bandwidth, which caused degradation across the rest of its customers.

Consumer groups were incensed by the tactic, and the blogosphere filled with criticism. The Federal Communications Commission is currently looking into the situation to see if Comcast has violated any of its Net neutrality principles.

How will consumers react to these tests? Will they not really notice, or will they get screwed and run screaming for DSL? (DSL uses a different delivery system, and, so far, has been pretty much immune to these problems.)

If you're an affected customer, or know someone who is, drop me an email at tdunlap@jupitermedia.com, or you can leave your comments on this blog.