Would someone explain high-speed to me?

We have AT&T DSL in Kansas City, and what is now Eagle Communications (cable company) at home in Clay Center KS, I know we have the slower option on cable, but what is stuttering and distracting on cable, the same videos are smooth and believable on DSL. Same laptop computer/ But all in all even at it's slowest, cable beats dial up!!

Interesting!
Many of us have tha same problems. I still don't have a cable option.
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Back in 2001 I was into couple of phone lines and paying to much for dial-up which was a night mare.

At that time I went satellite, bought my own etc. It was Direcway at tha time; Now HughsNet:
http://tinyurl.com/pzewm
The site tells ya about their speed & what its all about.

I pay $59 per month. No phone connected to my puters.
You can loose signal during a heavy thunder storm for a short time.
Should you move, your satellite goes with you. you own it.....

To add, or not, to the confusion, I would explain "High Speed", or "Broadband" as a much faster connection. If you can compare dialup service to driving in a school zone, High Speed or broadband is like driving in the fast lane on the freeway...things just get there quicker. If you like to share pictures with family and friends, or to look at videos on the internet, or do anything that is not "text/words" based, you will probably appreciate a faster connection. Pictures will show up much faster and videos will show more smoothly, and won't skip. For most of us, once you get off dial up, you never go back. The internet experience is just a lot more enjoyable. If ALL you ever do is email, and you don't use the internet web sites all that much, then dial up may be just fine for you. Things just take a bit longer to do.

As some have said, there are different kinds of broadband internet access. The "wired" kinds include cable, where the connection comes through your neighborhood cable service and is "shared". DSL, the definition has already been given, is a way of sending more information, faster, over existing copper telephone lines using a different kind of "signal" than phones use. Both are pretty fast for what most of us like to do on the internet. "Wireless" kinds include satellite service, where the information is delivered to you from the satellite, but you usually need a phone line connection too, for your computer to tell the internet sites what to send you across the satellite. Also, in some places, especially cities, you can connect via wireless radios like those in Starbucks, bookstores, hotels and airports. In some places this is free or very cheap. Last, you can connect with a cord from your cell phone to your computer, and use the cell companies wireless "broadband" service. This usually happens over different parts of the airwaves than your cellular voice calls do (think of AM and FM, different "airwaves" for your car radio). The last way is probably the most expensive, at least for now, and may or may not, prevent you from taking a cell phone call at the same time.

Wow, this has become very informative. Magpye, no problem. I'm interested in all of this conversation.

Our Wireless is different from anything you mentioned. The company has installed sending units in locations around the area. Ours comes off a water tower in a small town about 10 miles away. We have a receiver installed on our house. A cord runs from there to the computer. It is always on, weather doesn't bother it. Don't know about thunderstorm, because we shut down the whole computer when lightning gets close.(I have an electric switch that completely separates it from the power. Even the neutral is disconnected.) I never have to worry about an overload of users. It is always super fast. Sometimes a little faster than other times. It's like taking a picture, you click, it's there. Best part, they installed the receiver & everything at our house, no equipment cost. $34.95 a month, plus a small discount for having cell phones from same company.
Bernie

I had dial up with AOL for a long time. When AOL became free I switched to DSL with at&t. I still have AOL because I like their format but it is now with at&t broadband. I regularly check my speed and a few minutes ago it was 1.25 mbps,a lot faster than dial up. My total cost is $14.99 per month, the same as I was paying for AOL dial up.