Broadband According to the FCC
by John Anderson
August 19, 2005
In July the Federal Communications Commission released a report touting U.S. broadband connectivity. But the report contains several flaws that paint a wildly misleading picture of the state of broadband access in America. For example, the FCC's analysis considers an entire zip code wired for broadband if just one customer exists there, when in reality access to broadband varies block-to-block in many major cities. The FCC also sets a disappointingly low threshold for what it considers high-speed access, defining a connection as broadband even if it only barely handles streaming video.
On a per capita basis the U.S. ranks 16th in the world when it comes to broadband access -- a slip of three spots from just a year ago. Americans pay as much as 25 times what the Japanese do for broadband, even though Japan enjoys connection speeds as much as eight times faster than what's available domestically. Other solutions exist to increase access to broadband, like municipal networks and community wireless projects, but these are facing stiff opposition from phone and cable companies, who are lobbying at both the federal and state levels to stop or slow down their growth.