I just upgraded my connection - Shaws 5Mb High-Speed-Extreme package.

It is advertised at 5down/2up kilobits per second.

My speeds now are truly blazing, leaving me with a couple questions. My Newsleecher DL speed tops out at a steady 260 kilobytes per second (~2.2 Megabits), but I can get up to around 550 KBs on general internet traffic.

Q1. Shouldn't Newsleecher, connected downloading directly off my ISP, max out my connection speed?

Q2. How can I maximize this connection?

I know a lot of people will be like "shut up man - I can't even get 260 kilobits/second' - but this connection is a bit pricey and I want to see what its full capabilities are.