America’s Internet started out as No. 1 in speed. It now ranks 26th, far behind the networks in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Lithuania. Americans pay the sixth highest median price in the modern world for Internet data — 16 times the rates paid by South Koreans, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Just as serious is the problem of coverage: in France, South Korea and other modern countries a superfast Internet is or will soon be available everywhere. In America, AT&T’s fiber optic lines stop short of homes and small businesses, while Verizon plans to end its fiber-optic installation work once it reaches 18 million residences. As of now huge parts of the United States will never get on the information superhighway but will rather slog along on the digital equivalent of a country road. This presents a genuine economic threat to America: the future industries and jobs that require a universal ultra-high-speed network, after all, will most likely be developed somewhere else.
Break Up the Telecom Cartels – NYTimes.com (via rickwebb)
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Not to be all arguementative with my brother, but this is a much more complicated issue than Rick Webb makes it out to be. There are lots of reasons why internet infrastructure might be slower in America than other places…let’s outline them:
- Replacing existing infrastructure is expensive, and since America already had a lot of it’s “pipes” laid down with older technology, the companies who paid for that want to get a return on their investment before replacing them
- America is one of the least-dense nations in the world…compared with South Korea for example, where 50% of the nation lives in huge apartment buildings. DSL can only deliver fast speeds over a certain distance of copper wire. As populaitons get less dense, speeds decrease.
- Consumer advocacy organizations help keep “advertised” speeds in line with “actual speeds” here more than in, say, Lithuania, where measured speeds can be half of the companies report.
Of course, this is why internet is slower, not why it is more expensive. It’s more expensive (mostly) because the market can bear that expense and the telecoms are out to make money and we’ve given them monopolies. So I’m not saying we shouldn’t “break the cartels” as it were, but painting this in black and white doesn’t help anybody and just gives the opposition ammunition against plans to move forward.
In conclusion…GOOGLE FIBER NOW PLZ!
(via edwardspoonhands)
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