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U.S. Broadband Access Falling Behind

Posted by samzenpus on from the no-computer-left-behind dept.

EpochVII writes "FreePress recently released a report(PDF) detailing the woeful situation of U.S. broadband access. From the press release: 'By overstating broadband availability and portraying anti-competitive policies as good for consumers, the FCC is trying to erect a façade of success. But if the president's goal of universal, affordable high-speed Internet access by 2007 is to be achieved, policymakers in Washington must change course.'"

7 of 683 comments (clear)

  1. Oh, nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Blind anti-US, pro-socialism, pro-foreigner garbage on Slashdot? Oh my word! Oh wait, that's normal.

  2. Policymakers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Is it really the federal government's job to provide cheap internet access for people? I don't remember seeing that in the constitution.

    1. Re:Policymakers? by hoeschen · · Score: 0, Troll

      It also doesn't say that the government should build an interstate highway system, subsidize oil companies, or deliver the mail. Yet, here we are.

  3. Re:Look at France, Germany, UK and South Korea by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 0, Troll
    South Korea is a world leader in broadband penetration and they started from zero just s few years ago. They're government made it a vital policy to get broadband to everyone, and it worked.

    and having a fraction of the land area and higher population densities had nothing to do with it. Honestly, I don't get otherwise rational people even making the comparison.

    The US Government needs to wake up, something needs to be done - and quickly before the US becoes a comsumer digital backwater.....

    What does that even mean? I'm sorry, but that sounds just as political and bogus and meaningless as the stuff the other side tosses out. What's a "consumer digital bacwater"? What is the detriment, in real, measurable terms, of not having as rapid broadband penetration as countries a fraction of our size? If I go from 2 Mbps to 10 Mbps, what wonderful things happen?

  4. Re:The S. Koreans by superpulpsicle · · Score: -1, Troll

    Before we deploy WiMAX the industry should do massive research on its effects on animals. I always worry this wireless stuff broadcast at a frequency that affects not human, but wildlife. It'll just fuck with our ecosystem, and we find out too late.

  5. Re:Look at France, Germany, UK and South Korea by fupeg · · Score: -1, Troll
    Take the price of a 6 MB DSL line with VOIP included in France - you can get the whole thing for $30 (~20 euro).
    You need to consider something before you make an ignorant statement like this. How much of the price of that dsl line is actually in the form of tax dollars? So if you pay $30 directly, but another $100 (depending on tax bracket) more, then is your cost really $30? Now of course that extra $100 is being taken through income tax, so it's not as obvious, but you still must consider it.

    Please note that I am not actually claiming that $100/month in this guy's taxes is going towards broadband subsidization in France. I am simply stating that there is some extra tax cost to pay for the government subsidized monopoly.
  6. Re:Look at France, Germany, UK and South Korea by fupeg · · Score: 0, Troll

    France Telecom is a government backed monopoly.