Why are traditional internet communications so poor over long haul networks?
Network throughput using the standard TCP protocol is severely limited by several factors:

LATENCY
More than half the total overall transmission time for a large file can consist of waiting for data packets to be transmitted to the receiver and acknowledgements of successful receipt to be returned. Due to this latency, increasing transmission bandwidth rapidly reaches a point of diminishing returns (see chart).

NETWORK CONGESTION
Most file transmissions today compete for available network capacity with many other users. TCP adapts very poorly to changing traffic volumes.

NETWORK QUALITY
Lost or distorted data results in partial retransmission and magnified latency at best and total transmission aborts at worst.