In broadband, we're NOT number one…
VV note: Lowell C. McAdam is chairman and chief executive of Verizon Communications, which has made out like a bandit thanks to U.S. policies on telecommunications. Of course he notes U.S. successes. On the other hand, "Where does the U.S. rank on the list of the top 10 countries or regions with the fastest broadband connections?" asks Bloomberg News. The answer: "Nowhere." Their sources say 14th. (Though other sources rank it 9th.) And according to Net Index, the U.S. is only 33rd in the world in download speeds.
How the U.S. Got Broadband Right
By LOWELL C. McADAM, NYT
AS senators consider President Obama’s nomination of Tom Wheeler to lead the Federal Communications Commission, some observers have painted a dire picture of the state of Internet availability in America. One legal scholar, Susan Crawford, has argued that “prices are too high and speeds are too slow,” though she supports Mr. Wheeler, a venture capitalist and former telecommunications lobbyist. Other critics have called for new government policies to “fix” the telecommunications industry.
Such criticisms are misplaced. If he is confirmed, Mr. Wheeler will have the good fortune to be arriving at the F.C.C. at a time when the United States has gained a global leadership position in the marketplace for broadband.
More than 80 percent of American households live in areas that offer access to broadband networks capable of delivering data with speeds in excess of 100 megabits per second. Almost everyone in the country has several competitive choices for high-speed broadband service (with wireline, satellite and wireless options). Verizon offers 14.7 million consumers, in parts of 12 states and the District of Columbia, speeds up to 300 megabits per second via our FiOS network, which is poised to provide even greater speeds in the future. Companies like AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are also investing in their infrastructure.
Fifty-six percent of American adults have smartphones that give them access to mobile broadband data and video. Our country is the center of a booming mobile ecosystem in which new devices and applications are being used to do everything from personal health monitoring and e-commerce to tracking deliveries and saving energy.
(More here.)
How the U.S. Got Broadband Right
By LOWELL C. McADAM, NYT
AS senators consider President Obama’s nomination of Tom Wheeler to lead the Federal Communications Commission, some observers have painted a dire picture of the state of Internet availability in America. One legal scholar, Susan Crawford, has argued that “prices are too high and speeds are too slow,” though she supports Mr. Wheeler, a venture capitalist and former telecommunications lobbyist. Other critics have called for new government policies to “fix” the telecommunications industry.
Such criticisms are misplaced. If he is confirmed, Mr. Wheeler will have the good fortune to be arriving at the F.C.C. at a time when the United States has gained a global leadership position in the marketplace for broadband.
More than 80 percent of American households live in areas that offer access to broadband networks capable of delivering data with speeds in excess of 100 megabits per second. Almost everyone in the country has several competitive choices for high-speed broadband service (with wireline, satellite and wireless options). Verizon offers 14.7 million consumers, in parts of 12 states and the District of Columbia, speeds up to 300 megabits per second via our FiOS network, which is poised to provide even greater speeds in the future. Companies like AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are also investing in their infrastructure.
Fifty-six percent of American adults have smartphones that give them access to mobile broadband data and video. Our country is the center of a booming mobile ecosystem in which new devices and applications are being used to do everything from personal health monitoring and e-commerce to tracking deliveries and saving energy.
(More here.)
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