USA Lags Behind World, Literally
It is rather ironic that the country that initiated the commercial Internet phenomenon is now near rock bottom in terms of broadband connection speeds, as compared to other industrialized nations, according to a report by the Washington-based CWA (Communications Workers of America). Yes we are talking about the United States, which claims a median speed of just 1.97 Mbps. The state of Iowa is one of the more deprived regions at 1.2 megabits. With worse speeds still are the states of Alaska, Wyoming, and West Virginia. On the bright side, those who live in Rhode Island are a bit more fortunate with 5.01 megabits. Even the states of New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts may have something to smile about, with 3.68, 3.44, and 3.00 Mbps respectively.
"High-speed Internet Broadband connection speeds in the US are actually ‘pathetic’ as compared to other industrialized nations."
These figures pale in comparison to South Korea, however, which commands 45 Mbps. France gets 17 Mbps and Canada gets 7 Mbps, on average. While these numbers may look comparatively large, no nation even comes close to Japan, with a stellar 661 Mbps.
The consequences of such low speeds are not insignificant, the CWA warns. While the local user complains of long download times, the corporate executive’s ability to do business in a highly competitive global arena gets hampered. Indeed the CWA has even recommended that the FCC (Federal Communications commission) pay closer attention to the problem, and possibly modify its opinion of what is considered fast in the U.S. Certainly, as the common saying goes, time is money.
The consequences of such low speeds are not insignificant, the CWA warns. While the local user complains of long download times, the corporate executive’s ability to do business in a highly competitive global arena gets hampered. Indeed the CWA has even recommended that the FCC (Federal Communications commission) pay closer attention to the problem, and possibly modify its opinion of what is considered fast in the U.S. Certainly, as the common saying goes, time is money.
