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Ok, bandwidth-wise, theoretically speaking, there is no difference. Uploading does not magically take up twice the bandwidth, and vice versa.
In practical terms, some ISP's will put separate caps on upload speed/download speed. This is most apparent in the early satellite setups (might even still be true today, although I don't know anyone who still uses a satellite for internet service) where your download speed was limited only by the satellite's transfer rate (and the corresponding caps on the ISP's end), whereas the upload rate was limited only by the crappy modem you used in conjunction with it.
Going with the separate caps idea, most xDSL providers will put a cap on the download speed and a cap on the upload speed. Typically the upload speed is 1/2 to 1/4 the speed of the download rate in this situation.
Other companies will simply put a restriction on the amount of total bandwidth you can consume during any given second. In this case, your uploads will affect your downloads...high upload rates will reveal slower download rates, and vice versa. I don't know if the ISP does this or if it's just the way it's set up, but dial-up modems are also restricted in this way, afaik.
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