In TCP/IP, a ping only measures the amount of time it takes for a signal to travel from source to destination. It doesn't reveal anything about the speed of the destination. I could get a ping of 50ms from someone with a 56K modem who could theoretically be living right next door to me. Likewise, I could get a 1000ms ping from someone with a T3 who is 5000 miles away from me. In either case, the ping doesn't tell me the speed of the person's connection. I, for one, wouldn't appreciate starting a download from a source with a really low ping (like 50 to 100ms) only to find that they're running a 56k modem.