A new study shows that many Americans have slow, expensive Internet that lags behind what's available in other parts of the world.
When it comes to providing fast, affordable broadband Internet access, the U.S. can’t compete with other countries. A new study by the Open Technology Institute found that Americans pay far more than people in Asian and European countries for the same type of broadband Internet service, and U.S. service isn’t as fast.
The report compares the cost and speed of Internet access in 24 cities across the globe, including several U.S. cities.
Why does the U.S. lag behind so many other countries in both speed and affordability of service? It isn’t a technology issue.
“Instead, it is an economic policy problem — the lack of competition in the broadband industry,” the Times said.
Stop and let that sink in: Three-quarters of American homes have no competitive choice for the essential infrastructure for 21st century economics and democracy.
Two U.S. cities – Kansas City, Mo., and Chattanooga, Tenn. – offer both speed and value, similar to what’s available overseas. Both cities have local government-run Internet service.
“Our research shows that these locally owned networks tend to deliver better value to their customers when compared on a price-per-megabit basis to competing cable and telecom providers in their own cities,” the study said.
Slow, expensive Internet service puts the U.S. at a distinct disadvantage. There is a lot of room for improvement.
“More competition, better technologies and increased quality of service on wireline networks help to drive down prices,” Nick Russo, a policy program associate studying broadband pricing at the Open Technology Institute and co-author of the report, told the Times.
Are you surprised to find that Internet in the U.S. is slower and more expensive than elsewhere around the world? Share your comments below or on our Facebook page.