Usenet Download Speeds

[#1]

Is anyone else experiencing problems with their download speeds from UseNet providers (I've tried Giganews and EasyNews with the same results).
The problem:-
I've got the Unlimited PlusNet package so before midnight the speed should be limited to 512Kbps for binary UseNet which should change to the linespeed rate at midnight. What I'm getting some (not all) nights is that before midnight I get around 500Kbps, which is what I should get, but on the stroke of midnight it DROPS to less than 200Kbps instead of going up to 900-1000Kbps (I'm on a 1M fixed speed line).
If I do a speed test I get download rates of 900-1000Kbps so the line is working OK to where ever the PlusNet speed test server is located.
I can set Newsbin to download from both servers and the rate still doesn't rise so it looks to me like the traffic shaping is responsible but it shouldn't, I only went to the Unlimited from BBYW 3 because shaping wasn't applied between midnight and noon.
John

[#2]

Hi John,
That's to be expected to a degree.
We have a very large number of people that will be using schedling software so that their Usenet and P2P downloads start at midnight on the dot.  So, whilst the rate limits are relxed at that time, there will be a sudden influx of people trying to download at the same time, which causes your usenet speeds to take a bit of a drop at that time.
Speeds after the initial influx should then improve as peoples downloads finish.