One thing about being online is that you have to pay for that lovely access in most situations. In North America there are different Internet Service Providers (ISP) in different parts of the region. In the USA I’ve seen prices slowly move down in some parts of the country.
In Canada the market seems somewhat more restricted in certain regions. That might be due to geographic reasons and yes it make sense from an internet backbone issue.
But once you have decided to actually buy your internet access you should expect to receive what you end up paying for ever month. having used internet access in Canada over the years I know that internet access speeds can change almost on a daily basis. its important for Canadians to test their internet speed from time to time to make sure they are actually receiving what they were promised when they signed up for internet access.
Problems can be caused by various issues. One of the most frustrating issues can be internet access caused by “repair” crews working in your area. On two different occasions I have had DSL connection speeds affected by service personnel working on the local hub and they messed up a few wires in the box. I used an internet speed test website to check my connection speed and it had dropped by 50 per cent all because their service people were working in the neighbourhood improving access for everyone. Oh I just loved the irony of the whole service call.