110 or 300 baud were the "first" modems. My first 1200 baud modem just screamed. In comparison, of course.
An effective 2000 bits/second from Pluto is the stuff of science fiction. (Actually, even SF from the 50s was full of situations like being out of radio contact with Earth because of distances on the order of an AU or so. With available technology they were probably right).
It's mostly a question of power. The 1987 design for the TAU probe communication system would have handled 20 kb/s from 1000 AU... by using between 100 and 260 watts for the transmitter (and relatively big antennas):
An effective 2000 bits/second from Pluto is the stuff of science fiction. (Actually, even SF from the 50s was full of situations like being out of radio contact with Earth because of distances on the order of an AU or so. With available technology they were probably right).