Render distance stuck on multiplayer

Render distance is stuck at 6. I can set the slider higher, and the fog recedes accordingly, but more than 6 chunks out will not load. This is only and issue on multiplayer, and I know that it isn't the server itself because a, I'm the only one having the issue, b, many other servers do the same thing, c, I used to get more render distance, and d, the staff of the server say that it is not limited. My computer can render much higher than this, and I am at a loss as to what is causing this issue.