I still remember when I first time I saw prices for broadband internet access 8O I couldn’t believe that anyone would ever be willing to pay that much, just for a faster hook up to the net. Of course that was before video became an online powerhouse and before DSL started slashing prices in order to attract new subs. Since then, broadband internet access has moved from being a luxury good to an important commodity for the digital home.

Over the course of my life, I’ve used dial up, DSL and cable internet access. Of the three, cable has turned out to be the fastest, but at nearly twice the cost, it’s hasn’t necessarily been the best. While I do notice a lag when I’m on a DSL connection, it’s still fast enough that it gets the job done.

Even though I think DSL offers a better value for your money, I’m still a Comcast subscriber instead. This is in part because they offered me a juicy up front discount if I bundled my TV with my internet. I also prefer cable because I watch a ton of internet video and the lag on DSL drives me nuts when I am streaming content.

If I still had a landline, I’d probably consider going back to DSL, but since AT&T won’t allow me to use naked DSL, I’ve got to factor in the telephone price along with the cost of the service. When you do that, cable starts looking more attractive.

I may still be a Comcast subscriber, but I’m clearly behind on broadband trends because AT&T has just taken the top position for the total number of broadband subs. Between the combination of lower prices and increased demand for faster bandwidth, consumers are proving willing to look past the downloading lags, in exchange for faster service at the same price as dial up.

It could be that the real difference between DSL and Cable internet is really only psychological. I’ve used tools, like the CNET bandwidth meter, to test my performance before and to be honest, I’ve never seen all that much of a difference. One disadvantage to cable is that because of the infrastructure that supports it, customers are impacted by what your neighbors are doing on the net. This means that you’ll see slower downloading times at peak hours, but can bit torrent to your hearts content from about midnight to 6am.

Just like we used to have the Pepsi challenge in the 70′s and 80′s, I’d be interested in seeing AT&T run a bandwidth taste test to see if consumers can even tell when it just comes to performance. If the speeds really are noticably slower, then I’d know that the performance issues, actually exist outside of my head, but if consumers can’t reall tell the difference, then I give kudos to Comcast’s marketing team, for branding a similar commodity as a premium brand.