How Long Will the U.S. Continue to Languish in the Broadband Ghetto?

Access to broadband Internet services in the United States is a national embarrassment. In the U.S., broadband Internet users pay more for significantly slower service than many foreign countries provide to their citizenry. There are currently fourteen countries which provide faster broadband systems that cost less and reach more people then here in the U.S., where the Internet was originally formed, and this gap continues to widen. Here in the U.S. there are still millions of Americans who do not have access to broadband service because the infrastructure is still unavailable.

Many believe the lethargic upload and download speeds the American broadband users tolerate are not only annoying but they are also kneecapping innovation. If America hopes to compete in tomorrow's global information economy it is time for us to begin viewing high-speed internet activity as a necessary. It should be encouraged and not just looked upon as a convenience. The countries who are first to deploy ubiquitous high speed broadband to their populous will be the ones who develop the tools to use it.

High speed fiber optic cables are already located in many of the United States cities, towns, and villages, but few connect into the people homes. The majority of the U.S. Internet users rely on outdated copper wire technologies which are controlled by either the telephone companies or the cable television companies. These companies generally operate in near monopolistic environments within there communities, which give them little motivation to improve service or switch over.

The Internet dominance of Japan and South Korea was achieved through massive government subsidies provided to Internet providers to expand their fiber optic networks. Switzerland offered tax credits to encourage broadband service competition amongst it Internet providers. These strategies have been considered here in the U.S. but no action to implement either strategy has been taken. An economic stimulus package for $7.2 billion to beef up the Internet super highway infrastructure has been proposed and is supposed to be in the works, but pundits do not feel the amount is sufficient.

A better solution being proposed is to have the U.S. government create an agency similar to the U.S. Postal Service and offer government run broadband. The governmental run broadband agency would compete with the cable and telephone companies in much the same way that UPS and Fed Ex compete with the U.S. Postal Service. It is believed this competition would encourage the telecoms to improve their offerings. This solution represents a radical policy change.

Information powers the world. Innovative technology delivers it fast and accurately. Improved broadband speeds will insure the U.S. has the must-have-information necessary to gives us an edge. Isn't it time for America to halt this national embarrassment and stop languishing in the broadband ghetto?

Resource: Broadband Internet in the United States - Washington Monthly - June, 2009

Tags: broadband, internet, internet access, high-speed internet access, comcast