The package includes 15Mbps upstream, and it's $100 a month. And everyone in Cablevision's service area—suburban New York—will be able to get a piece. Verizon FiOS's speediest package now looks comparatively pokey: 50Mbps down, 20Mbps up.

On the other hand, while we're dazzled by insane internet speeds that were previously exclusively to cradles of technology like Korea and Japan, we shouldn't forget the otherwise miserable state of broadband here. As Cablevision deploys DOCSIS 3.0 with full force, Time Warner is pulling back on it following the backlash to its proposed caps in cities outside of Beaumont, Texas. Meanwhile, Comcast employs caps and throttling, while AT&T tests caps on its U-Verse service.

So it's still going to be a while before we can pat our ISPs on the back for the wonderful, speedy service they're providing. [Bits]

In other words, if they are not going to get the blood money they planned from CBB, they might not feel the need to roll out wideband (even though they are not implicitly tied). Alex Dudley, VP of public relations for Time Warner explains via his twitter feed:

@gigastacey it was scheduled as part of cbb trial, but we all know how you feel about that.

@netpro2k It doesn't...just that the rollout was scheduled with the trial and now all of it is on hold.

@Stryph Biggest cost is actually bandwidth allocation.

Obviously, if they are concerned about another major public backlash, they had damn well better come through with this. As a TWC customer, I will definitely be one of those people shaking my fist. [PCMag]

Users interested in the upgrades will be able to check their zip code for availability on a special landing page set up on the Comcast website. Keep in mind that all of these tiers will most likely be subject to Comcast's new 250GB data caps as well as their priority bandwidth management system that temporarily slows down heavy users under periods of congestion.

COMCAST BEGINS ROLLOUT OF EXTREME 50 MBPS HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SERVICE
Plans to Reach More Than 10 Major Markets and Nearly 10 Million Homes and Businesses in
the Next Several Months

Two New, Faster Speed Tiers Introduced and Speeds Doubled for Most Existing Customers
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 22, 2008 – Comcast, the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and
communications products and services, today announced it is making the leap from broadband to wideband with
the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0. With wideband, Comcast will introduce a brand new echelon of
Internet speed tiers, which will redefine the customer experience online and create a platform for Internet
innovation in the years ahead.

In the next few weeks, Comcast’s new services will be available to millions of residential homes and businesses
in parts of New England, including the Boston Metropolitan region and Southern New Hampshire, as well as
areas of Philadelphia and New Jersey. These services also will be available in the Twin Cities where wideband
was launched earlier this year. Comcast plans to continue to roll out wideband across its footprint and expects
to reach more than 10 major markets and pass nearly 10 million homes and businesses in the next several
months.

With wideband, Comcast will offer among the fastest speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier at up
to 50 Mbps. It also will enable Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet
customers at no additional cost.

“Wideband is a game-changer for the industry. With wideband running over our next-generation fiber-optic
network, we can greatly enhance our customers’ online experience immediately. And these speeds are only a
preview of what’s to come—wideband will provide the capability of delivering dramatically faster speeds in
excess of 160 Mbps in the future,” said Mitch Bowling, SVP and General Manager, Comcast Online Services.
“Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to offer more speed to more homes than any other U.S.
Internet service provider.”

As part of the wideband deployment, Comcast will launch two new premium speed tiers to its residential and
business class customers. Both services are ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several
computers or Internet-connected devices. They also will appeal to those who simply want some of the fastest
speeds available in the U.S. today:

New Residential Tiers
•Extreme 50, offering up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed at
$139.95/month.*
•Ultra, offering up to 22 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 5 Mbps of upstream speed at
$62.95/month.*

With Extreme 50, Comcast customers, for example, will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about
16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter
of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster
than ever

The upstream magic—where cable is so sorely gimped right now—is going to remain hobbly, at least at first. And it's not 'cause Comcast is incompetent (for a change). As "a reflection of the status of upstream channel bonding technology" we won't see upstream on steroids until deep into 2008 or even 2009. Consequently, while downstream's getting a Rosie O' Donnell plumping with initial offerings in the 20-50Mbps range—what Verizon's offering now—upstream speeds still aren't going to stack up, dulling the competitive edge DOCSIS 3.0 was supposed to bring against fiber.

That means The Flash is going to stay ahead of Quicksilver for the foreseeable future, since by 2009 Verizon's GPON-based FiOS will probably cover the majority of its footprint, allowing them to flip a switch to out-juice whatever cable's got by then. [Broadband Reports]

The cruel irony is that places already saturated with uber-broadband will probably take priority as cable ISPs look to compete with Verizon and AT&T fiber. But since they can forgo the lengthy and expensive process of laying down fiber optic cable, most of us will see fatter pipes this way long before fiber could make it to our doors. We're used to longing for real broadband with no relief in sight anyway, so feel free to take your time, cable companies. Kidding. Get it here now. [Ars Technica]