[OT} Wnat does bandwidth mean these days?

["Pete Shew" <ukha_d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The meaning of the term "bandwidth" seems to have undergone a
shift. Capping bandwidth, to me, is what is done to artificially reduce the
capacity of e.g. ADSL to the *speed* I am prepared to pay for. What BT and
others are doing is capping data volume.

I think bandwidth started as a radio communications term where the width of
the radio band, that is the spread of used frequencies, is related to the
capacity to send information. TV requires more bandwidth than radio, which
requires more than a morse code transmission.

So when did the meaning of "bandwidth" change from the
capabilities of a communications medium to the usage of said medium?

Pete