In these days of real time TCP/IP broadcasting and so forth, so many identical packets are sent around the network to individual users. For example, an internet radio staion sends identical packets that clog the network. Why not change the protocol so that individual packets can be sent or read by multiple users, or even by all?
Moreover how about incorperating a file sharing system (with copyright protection of course) That has mirror packets stored on your computer as you receive them. So that when a nearby person requests the same it is sent from the closest available mirror? This would serve the dual perpose of cacheing data from sites the individuals have recently visited so that each time they go back to it they don't have to go through the same slow process again. Such a system would dramatically increase the speed of the internet and take the load off the backbone. It would also reduce the cost enormously. With no major hardware upgrades. This would allow new streaming applications and so forth, so that the internet could finally live up to it's full potential!
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I am not a networking expert, but I do believe almost all this already exists. I believe there is a protocol where you subscribe to a stream (like radio) and the routers are set up to be efficient in distibution of packets. Not sure how efficient it is, but I think it is relatively decent. Besides, imagine the overhead to figure out that you and I are neighbors who happen to be listening to WXYZ at the same time, but through different ISPs - how could we really share. You might have to keep a gigantic routing database of all the people listening to WXYZ, but even then you cannot know how close they really are to each other. Even if you and I both use a similar IP address from ATT.net as an ISP, we might still be far away on the network.
When you browse to a website, the images and text are cached to your local computer, but not as packets. This does make it faster. Also, this is how the "net-zero" "turbo" connection works - except I think they cache things for you?
File Sharing: again, how do you determine if someone is "nearby"? Also, what if you are directed to a "mirror" peer computer "nearby", but it is on a 56K modem - yuck.
In the case of regular websites, there are companies which host cache servers so that a person can access a website quicker, and witout bogging down the whole route to the real host server (whom do have mega pipes)
A home internet connenction, even if broadband, is way too small, plus many ISPs restrict or prohibit servers on customer lines, yes, not to mention the network infrastructure and bandwidth that would be taken up managing nanocaches.
* Those turbo dial-up ISPs not only cache, but the further compress images.