Is AOL throttling my broadband?

[Thurston Garden]

I have always been very happy with my download speeds. I also spring clean my computer weekly with Ccleaner, do b-weekly back ups and run Spyware Doctor and AVG daily (well they run themselves!). But....

Over the last three days, I have noticed that certain web pages just won't load. In particular, BBC, Channel 4, Multimap and sometimes I cannot log onto my ebay account.

Now, my laptop works pretty well hooked up by a wire in the office in Edinburgh. BT are the ISP there. However, at home, the above sites are downright sluggish, or indeed, won't even load at all. You don't even get the server timed out window. I have run the Intel driver updater 'cos I wondered if my wireless card was to blame, but this has made no difference.

Sometimes clicking the refresh button works on some sites, but BBC and C4 just won't load. Given I stream programmes from both these site, I wondered if AOL might have put a kink in my internet hose.....

Any ideas from the Ish-Geeks?

Ta.

[Thurston Garden]

Thanks, but I don't think they are restricting the speed as such. I suspect they may be controlling the BBC/C4 sites amongst other. Google and Ish load in a flash.

I am now running with all my firefox plugins disabled, but still no BBC/C4 - click on the link and all you get is wating for bbc......

[MKG]

Yes, they probably are. I read something about this a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, ISPs are increasingly using the tactic of restricting traffic to and from various high-load sites, purportedly to reduce demand for illegal torrent streams etc. In effect, though, those sites also include video streamers such as the BBC, Channel 4 etc. Basically, what they appear to be doing is retaining the ability to quote high speeds to prospective customers whilst at the same time blocking traffic which may compromise those speeds - a "you can go anywhere on the net you want to apart from really popular sites" policy.

It isn't just AOL, then - BT, for instance, have openly declared that they use this technique. Providing a service which lives up to contractual obligations doesn't seem to be in the business plan any longer.

Mike

[Thurston Garden]

I could understand (although not agree) to ISP's restricting traffic on the likes of C4 and BBC, but why Multimap? I also noticed that a blog I also read daily (www.lifehacker.com) is not working too. I can't even get to my AOL account to see if they have been warning me by email!