Why the U.S. Doesn’t Measure Up

WHY THE US DOESN'T MEASURE UP
[SOURCE: Free Press, AUTHOR: Ben Scott]
In testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee , Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott urged lawmakers to pursue a comprehensive national broadband policy that will bring more broadband competition to American households. “Above all, we need competition policy to drive down prices, accelerate speeds, and deliver an attractive value to the consumer,” Scott said. “We must not sacrifice the long-term interests of the country for the short-term interests of incumbents that have long shielded themselves from an open market.” “This isn’t just a matter of pride at stake,” Scott said. “This is real money. The economic benefits of higher broadband penetration accumulate exponentially. Even a small increase in broadband penetration can generate a consumer surplus measured in the billions of dollars. While we aren’t capturing these dollars, someone else is.” “This is a paradigm-shifting moment for American telecommunications,” Scott concluded. “It is imperative that we choose wisely.”
http://www.freepress.net/news/22657

* Read Scott's testimony at: http://www.freepress.net/docs/42407bssentestimony.pdf

* U.S. Falling Behind Further and Faster on Broadband
http://www.consumersunion.org/blogs/hun/2007/04/us_falling_farther_and_f...