I got the data in the following paragraph from a talk on the subject at an Outerz0ne or maybe a Phreaknic years ago:
At the time all cable companies were were building up their data network, they were building that network over top of their existing video distribution network. That network was designed [ages prior to this point] to have tiny, tiny, upstream channels for use by system control and maintenance devices, and huge downstream channels to shove 100+ analog TV channels. Because it would have cost a metric shitload to replace all of that hardware, the cable companies were forced to give their data subscribers pretty large downstream links and relatively meager upstream links.[0]
Frankly, the nerds of the day (remember, this is the mid-to-late 1990's) would all have been running home servers, and would have been demanding a symmetric connection so that they would have a substantially cheaper alternative to ISDN.
(Note that nerds that remember those days consider asymmetric home Internet connections to have been more harmful than the Eternal September.)
[0] Note that this property is pretty meaningless in an HFC network where the cable company could run fiber directly to the home, but chooses not to. [See also ATT U-Verse.]
At the time all cable companies were were building up their data network, they were building that network over top of their existing video distribution network. That network was designed [ages prior to this point] to have tiny, tiny, upstream channels for use by system control and maintenance devices, and huge downstream channels to shove 100+ analog TV channels. Because it would have cost a metric shitload to replace all of that hardware, the cable companies were forced to give their data subscribers pretty large downstream links and relatively meager upstream links.[0]
Frankly, the nerds of the day (remember, this is the mid-to-late 1990's) would all have been running home servers, and would have been demanding a symmetric connection so that they would have a substantially cheaper alternative to ISDN.
(Note that nerds that remember those days consider asymmetric home Internet connections to have been more harmful than the Eternal September.)
[0] Note that this property is pretty meaningless in an HFC network where the cable company could run fiber directly to the home, but chooses not to. [See also ATT U-Verse.]