Apparently a whole slew of browsers are sending IPv6 connections whenever they connect, "just to see which one is faster", which sure sounds like a lot of bandwidth for somebody to pay for ... must be worth it to someone.

Don't they just send a packet to measure response time? I'm not certain that'd amount to any noticeable increase in monthly BW usage.

Can someone who actually understands the Dismalest Science enlighten us?

I'm not your guy. It's an interesting topic of discussion and I hope someone who knows what they're talking about can come in and enlighten us.