The United States is driving very slow on the information super highway and is failing to meet the speed limit, according the 2nd annual Report of Internet Speeds in All 50 States, issued this month by the Communications Workers of America.
Taking aggregate data from 230,000 people in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, the report indicates the amount of time it takes for computers to upload and download data.
Some of the findings involving broadband access (cable modem, DSL, or fiber) are depressing, when you consider American scientists invented the internet:
- 15% of American households connect through dial-up service
- 85% of wage earners over $100,000 subscribe to broadband, compared to 49% earning $30,000 to $40,000; and 25% earning less than $20,000
- 60% of urban households subscribe, compared to 57% of suburban families and 37% in rural towns
The good news is the median download speed for the U.S. was 2.3 megabits per-second (mbps), an increase of 0.4 mbps from last year’s test.
The bad news is the U.S. ranks 15th among industrialized nations in high speed internet adoption. Some of the higher-ranked countries include Japan (63 mbps), South Korea (49), Finland (21), France (17), and Canada (7.6).
If the United States continues driving the same speed limit, it will take 100 years to catch up to Japan!
Speed is necessary for economic development and competitiveness, and to “support innovations in telemedicine, education, public safety, and public services to improve our lives and communities,” the report states. “Most U.S. Internet connections today are not fast enough to permit interactive home-based medical monitoring, multi-media distance learning, or to send and receive data to run a home-based business.”
Beating the national average, the top 5 performing U.S. states include Rhode Island (6.8), Delaware (6.7), New Jersey (5.8), Virginia (5), and my home state of Massachusetts at 4.6.
The bottom five states that need the most help, primarily due to rural locations and lack of broadband access include Idaho (1.3), Wyoming (1.3), Montana (1.3), North Dakota (1.2) and Alaska (0.8).
The CWA suggests an 8-point plan to provide affordable and high-speed internet access, including the creation of public-private partnerships like ConnectKentucky; development of state and local technology roadmaps; reformation of universal service for not just telephones; preservation of an open internet without censorship; and the enabling of low-interest loans, tax incentives, subsidies, and grants to stimulate an improved telecommunications infrastructure.
Is the U.S. ready to accept the CWA challenge?
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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Hi Ari – This is actually pretty scary. With technology improving all the time – the US could get too far behind.
My broadband connection here in the UK is far too slow. Apparently it is something to do with the line provider.
I wonder how your broadband line connects you to me. Under the ocean? Satellite?
I used to live in Canada and never once complained about the internet, and then I moved here to America and I learned a whole dictionary of swear words to compliment my new internet speeds ^-^
Heh, Saye. Though I suppose it depends where in the Canada you lived and where in the US you live.
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