Thursday, November 09, 2006

USA - USA - USA!

This really isn't in the category of America-Hating but I've been reading alot about this lately. The USA ranks 15th in the world in broadband penetration, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Yessir, we rank right after Estonia!

I get about 600 kbs at home using cheap ($14.95) DSL from Verizon. The FCC defines broadband as anything 200 kbs and over. Sad. In Europe and Asia they probably pay a bit more than that to get over 25 Mbs. Why is this?

Through lack of competition. As the Congressional Research Service puts it, U.S. consumers face a "cable and telephone broadband duopoly." And that's more like a best-case scenario: Many households are hostage to a single broadband provider, and nearly one-tenth have no broadband provider at all.
No matter how patriotic or nationalistic you may be, no matter how much you love the USA....we are NOT number one in a lot of areas. Too many areas. The World Economic Forum ranks the USA number 6 in global competitiveness. The Center for Global Development ranks the USA 19th in quality of aid to other nations. How sad is it that the only worldwide power on earth cannot be first in health, education, jobs, etc.

We have a lot of work to do.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The USA also ranks 53rd in freedom of the press, neck-in-neck with Croatia and Botswana. See http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=639

PCS said...

Hey Matt, how are things going in Oregon?

Anonymous said...

We have the power. Like municipal power we can form our own broadband. The City of Philadelphia, Pa. has done broadband already. The consumer unfriendly Verizon has been opposed. Futurist