#192. Internet Speed in the United States
Posted on | The Agurban|
Internet Speed in the United States
The results of a second annual survey of Internet speeds, conducted by the Communication Workers of America, show that the United States has not made significant improvement in the speeds at which residents connect to the Internet. Our nation continues to fall far behind other countries. The median download speed for the nation was 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). In Japan, the median download speed is 63 mbps, or 30 times faster than the U.S. The survey included nearly 230,000 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Surveyors visited speedmatters.org and took an Internet speed test. The final results show that the United States has fallen to 15th, behind other industrialized nations in the percent of the population subscribing to broadband. High Speed Internet is essential for economic growth and global competitiveness. The United States has a lot of ground to cover just to remain competitive with other economies that have already adopted policies that facilitate job growth, business advancement, and individual achievement through access to the latest information technologies. Broadband access is a topic we researched extensively for Boomtown USA. We felt then, as we do today, that broadband access to all corners of the United States is critical for the long term competitiveness of our country, in particular the rural regions. With high speed Internet access, anyone can become a global competitor. According to speedmatters.org, the United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high-speed broadband. Is it time to establish such a policy? www.speedmatters.org |