[lxgr]

> buffer bloat (wait for buffer to fill before talking on the network)

That's not buffer bloat (but might nevertheless be something that happens on DOCSIS modems, although I haven't heard of buffering several packets before contending for an upstream send grant).

Buffer bloat, while also rampant especially in shitty CPE like most DOCSIS modem/router combinations, would only occur when your upstream is saturated.

Supposedly though, on DOCSIS, the upstream access contention algorithm used can sometimes add the latency you describe, adding latency even for single packets.