Why do so many Americans have crummy Internet speeds?

[Commentary] A new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that the US ranked 15th out of 30 developed nations in 2007 when it comes to broadband penetration ­ a drop of three places from 2006. While the US has the largest number of broadband subscribers ­ about 70 million ­ only 23 percent of Americans subscribe to broadband. But it’s not just broadband itself where the US is lagging behind much of the rest of the developed world. The next big step in broadband is fiber-to-the-home networks. Fiber cables can carry much more data into the home than the copper wires used by cable providers. The US ranks 11th in the world in fiber connections ­ about 1 percent of all households. We keep hearing that high-speed connections are key to the future success for everything from the entertainment industry to government accountability to small business development. So why is the US doing such a so-so job? One reason could be that the US doesn't have much of a national broadband policy. The Bush administration says it does have a policy: Keep the government from intervening and let the market decide. But this policy ­ or lack thereof ­ really helping the consumer? Critics say that all this shows that the US is not giving consumers adequate broadband choices. “The fact is that the countries outperforming the United States have something we lack: a coherent national broadband policy,” S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, a media reform group, said in a statement after the release of the OECD report. “Policymakers who are serious about America’s economic and social well-being should focus on the open access policies that bring the benefits of broadband to all Americans.” But that’s not likely to happen under the present administration, so the US will probably drop farther down the list next year. Given that the current presidential candidates have widely hailed the Internet for boosting their campaigns, it will be interesting to see if a new broadband policy emerges next year.
http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/06/03/why-do-so-many-ameri...