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America's Broadband Dream Is Alive-- In Korea

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the global-positioning dept.

An anonymous reader writes "America's Broadband Dream Is Alive in Korea thanks to government encouragement, according to the NY times (free reg, etc...). But profits are elusive." The U.S. is a lot more spread out than Korea, though -- some American cities are pretty well connected.

7 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. "But profits are elusive." by Dutchmaan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ..and is anyone wondering why despite America's huge landmass and population spread over it.. that this broadband dream hasn't happened here yet? :)

  2. Sigh... by armyofone · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe I would have broadband available where I live if the US government were an 'encouraging' entity instead of bogged down in bureaucracy. Whatever happened to leadership? Looks to me as though it's moving overseas...

    --
    "A revolution without dancing is... a revolution not worth having"
    1. Re:Sigh... by geekee · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So you want the US to subsidize failing telcos? That's your idea of an encouraging entity? That's what I'd consider a socialist beuracracy. Let free market decide. The technology is here. It's not like the US has to encourage developing the technology. If people want it, let them pay for it, but don't make taxpayers pay for bandwidth they have already chosen to opt without, and stick with cheaper dial-up access instead.

      --
      Vote for Pedro
  3. Much Easier in Korea by fastdecade · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not only is USA more spread out, but Korea is full of high-density housing. I mean, Seoul looks like something out of a profitable Sim City, with entire clusters of high-density houses. And then theres the net cafes for LAN games for when the kiddies want to leave their broadband home connections and go outside.

    Koreas definitely at the forefront - subway has cell phone access, mainstream TV shows feature live gaming ... like in Japan, but with less bullshit bureaucracy. If anything, Id say Korea is fast becoming Japans technophile dream.

  4. I'm not surprised... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Thanks to our lame free enterprise system, where one company (regardless of how many smaller units the FTC breaks it up into) owns all of the cable or phone line, broadband is just not affordable.

    We've gone from ~$30/mo for 6Mb in the @Home days to nearly $50/mo for 1.5Mb thanks to ATT and now Comcast. In another 5 years, BB will be $100/mo for 768Kb. Gee, more money for less speed, I can't imagine why it's not taking off!

  5. The key difference by release7 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    In the US, the Internet is considered to be a consumer product. So if there's not way to make immediate cash, there's not going to be any technological progress. In other more forward looking countries, the Internet is a collective investment, that everyone benefits from, not just corporations. It's this mindset that has allowed Canada and Korea to pull far ahead.

    Particularly discouraging is that the US doesn't even have a policy to get broadband into every home on the horizon while practically all other modern, democratized nations do. We're still waiting for the Free Market Fairy to come along and wave her magic wand.

    --

    <a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>

  6. Re:keep in mind by Xerithane · · Score: 4, Insightful

    North Korea: 120,540 sq km
    South Korea: 98,480 sq km

    New Jersey: 11,936 sq km

    Will you people, who don't know what you are talking about, kindly shut the hell up.

    --
    Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.