David Clayton asked:
Can someone remind me when the term "Broadband" - which > is a *specific* description of a particular usage of > technology - was co-opted to then cover any sort of high- > speed Internet service?...
"Broadband" was used by the cable TV industry as far back as the mid-1970s, long before the internet existed. My first job in cable TV was in Madison, Wisconsin. The city's circa-1974 cable TV ordinance was grandly called "The Broadband Telecommunications Franchise Enabling Ordinance." The "broadband" network that resulted had a capacity of 12 TV channels plus the FM band. There wasn't enough programming available to fill even that much capacity.
Neal McLain