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276 Comments
- inactive, on 11/02/2007, -0/+141if the US is in the slow lane then Australia is parked
- pplmover13, on 11/03/2007, -6/+111Insane that we're one of the most developed countries in the world and we still pay way too much for broadband!
- inactive, on 11/01/2007, -10/+78Thank you, big business.
- DiggOrNotToDigg, on 11/05/2007, -4/+70I would like to thank AT&T, Verizon and Comcast for making this happen.
- Jexie, on 11/01/2007, -3/+65I think you meant to say 'near monopoly' in US telcomm industry.
- qwickone, on 11/05/2007, -5/+61That doesn't explain why prices are so high and speed is so slow in big cities relative to Japan, for instance.
- rivalius13, on 11/01/2007, -0/+56Ireland is going in reverse, down a freeway, blindfolded :(
- DangerCollie, on 11/07/2007, -1/+55Hey, it takes time for the NSA and FBI to scan all those emails. It's amazing the US internet runs as fast as it does.
- tylerjames, on 11/01/2007, -0/+53No kidding, this excuse is getting really tired. There are certainly centers of high population density on this continent where faster/cheaper broadband could be implemented. Eventually the improvements can be radiated to less populated areas, the same way it worked when broadband was first being implemented. I'm beginning to think that companies are just stalling so they can milk more profits out of the high price/crappy service combination they have right now. After all, it's not like we have many options right now, short of moving to Korea.
- TomFrost, on 11/01/2007, -0/+37We *tried* to get nationwide broadband. Our government set billions of tax dollars down and said "Ok, AT&T, get your fiber and make it happen." And AT&T took the money. And years later, no progress. No sign of progress. No talk of progress. Questions about progress are filtered/censored/otherwise ignored. I wouldn't place blame on "the country" in general because that implies the government isn't willing to fund it. I blame the goddamn thieves that took the money and do everything they can to make you forget it ever happened.
- scabbers, on 11/01/2007, -0/+34Broadband isn't that useful when they throttle your torrents and youtube, and also slap on a "fair useage policy".
- IADTatami, on 11/07/2007, -8/+41Sure, other countries have 100mbps connections... but those are 100 socialist mbps!
We're about quality, not quantity. The 1.9mbps we get are the best damn 1.9mbps in the free world, and let me tell you, that's the only world that counts. - brewno2k, on 11/05/2007, -0/+28In France they pay 29,99 euros for 28 down / 1 up + TV (200 channels, and HD included) + free telephone (international calls included). All that in DSL. Oh, and they also have a law that allows them "to have the right to copy" movies and music, if it's in your home. And third thing, iPhone will be unlocked there...
- prieurdp, on 11/01/2007, -2/+30South Africa is going down the same freeway on a blindfolded Zebra with its hooves tied together. In the boot of the Irish.
- dinostabOMG, on 11/01/2007, -4/+31I'm glad you qualified that with "one of" because the evidence is growing abundant that we don't belong at the very top anymore.
- haloplayer9672, on 11/05/2007, -36/+62If you think about it, the reason Japan has fast, cheap internet is because the population is very dense. This makes it easy for fiber to be set in because there isn't as much open space in the country. Here in the U.S. we have wide open country which makes it hard for the companies to expand out too far.
- rivalius13, on 11/01/2007, -1/+26No graphs and pie charts? What about those of us who are illiterate I ask?
- jerbaker, on 11/01/2007, -3/+28"If you think about it, the reason Japan has fast, cheap internet is because the population is very dense."
Oh, is that it? I was wondering why New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago had 100 MB Internet for $30 per month and the farmers in Nebraska didn't. Thanks for clearing that up. - FuzzyBunny, on 11/05/2007, -3/+26Then explain countries like the Netherlands which have lower population densities but higher broadband penetration than the US.
- inactive, on 11/01/2007, -3/+24Govt is not the answer to this problem. This is 100% supply and demand. The typical internet user does not even know the difference between DSL and Cable, much less how far behind in speeds we are.
They do not know that we are trailing nearly HALF the countries in the world in just about ANYTHING electronic. We are just now getting phones with tv on them, those went out of style in INDIA two years ago, japan it was nearly 5 years ago!
If the govt gave money to improve the infrastructure and spped of internet access (which it did already) it goes directly into the pockets of the likes of comcast, not into the infrastructure.
The community drives the market, and we are all asleep behind the wheel. - Bdog2g2, on 11/01/2007, -2/+23Sadly in many areas now. We're too convinced of ourselves (in other words full of ourselves) that we think we're #1 in everything.
"O'Doyle Rules!!" mentality - justinx0r, on 11/07/2007, -3/+23We aren't stuck in the 'slow lane'. If you want to maximize speed and cheapness then get the government to stop granting monopolies to providers. That way we'll have actual competition.
- gibsonic, on 11/01/2007, -1/+21I hate you both.
- warcin, on 11/01/2007, -1/+21so a normal Friday night after the pubs close
- blackmage439, on 11/01/2007, -0/+18"The new [fiber] network [from Verizon] can match or outdo the 100 megabits per second Internet service widely available in Japan and Korea, but Verizon isn't yet selling service at that speed."
I shudder to think what Big Telco will charge for something like that... - Specul8, on 11/01/2007, -1/+19Until we can get our elected officials to represent us and our rights and NOT big business as a consequence of corporate campaign financing and lobbyists, we the people will continue to suffer. Telecoms including ISP's and pharma are two of the worst!
- cooldude1561, on 10/31/2007, -3/+21what Europe pays for in gas and oil. we make up for in bandwidth cost.
- Herolint, on 11/05/2007, -2/+19That isn't why. Japan's population is dense in certain areas, but not everywhere, yet everywhere in Japan is better than anywhere in the US as far as I can tell.
I think the main difference between Japan and the US is that Japanese companies invests in things for the long term and the US companies want immediate returns for their quarterly earning statements. That is why Japan has better internet offerings, better transportation, and better things to watch on TV. They are patient and wait for success to grow. The US is constantly throwing away things that could be successful (or not trying at all) because the return isn't immediate. - FuzzyBunny, on 10/31/2007, -4/+21The monopolistic structure of US telcoms wouldn't exist without the current government policies for the telcom industry. They're both at fault.
- vertinox, on 11/05/2007, -1/+18Fine. New Jersey and South Korea have the same exact population density. Why does New Jersey's internet suck?
- weeeezzll, on 11/01/2007, -1/+17I remember using video phones when I went to Greece in the late 80's. If anyone here in the US wants to feel really dated when it comes to technology take a peak at what the Japanese have been enjoying in the cell phone industry for the last 10 years. In Japan 80% of residential households can connect to fiber networks with 100Mbit connections. That is a 4.7GB DVD image in ~6.5 minutes!
O'DOYLE SUCKS!! - fatadamblog, on 11/01/2007, -1/+17if the US is in the slow lane then Australia is parked
Amen to that brother.
$69AUD for 1.5Mbit ADSL with 20GB Downloads you've got to be kidding me.
We have data caps so low you'll think our ISPs are suffering brain damage! - NinjaBoy, on 11/01/2007, -0/+16and japan took a jet
- listrophy, on 11/01/2007, -0/+15On a smaller scale, our municipal gov't approved a fee hike for the local cable franchise on grounds of "improving customer service infrastructure." Instead, actual service got worse, the corresponding customer service took a nosedive, and the cable company paid out larger dividends than usual to its stockholders.
How did I find out about this? I decided to be proactive and attended my city's cable regulatory board meeting last month. Our board is pissed, but can't do a damned thing without a solid mandate from the people. Here's what we need to do: let our respective cable regulatory boards know that the general population is fed up. The first step for you is to attend one of their meetings. Most cities hold meetings monthly or bimonthly. Take a night off from the bars/video games/writing code/watching inane TV and let your voices be heard! - dfdemar, on 11/01/2007, -9/+23Actually, you can thank big government for making protectionist laws that restrict competition.
- NJank, on 11/01/2007, -2/+16ummm.... because it's New Jersey??
- FuzzyBunny, on 11/01/2007, -0/+14The telcoms are obviously the immediate cause of the problem, but in the end they're just doing what large corporations do, maximizing their profit. We shouldn't expect them to act any different of their own accord. The government is the one who bears the responsibility for regulating the industry, particularly in cases such as this where they have granted pseudo-monopoly rights to most of the players. That's where the root cause of the problem lies.
- Enfenestrate, on 11/01/2007, -0/+13So if we give in to the lure of faster download speeds the terrorists win?
- whataboutdave, on 11/01/2007, -7/+20If you think the two aren't related, you;re not paying attention.
- 40hands, on 11/01/2007, -2/+14You're right. We should only have to read good stories about America so we can feel better about ourselves always being the best.
- rivalius13, on 11/01/2007, -0/+12Why limit yourself to one night a week?
- Urusai, on 11/07/2007, -0/+12Those are just excuses to avoid upgrading their infrastructure. I've said it before, speeds in the US will actually decline over time, as more people/things use up bandwidth but companies refuse to speed things up. These are the days of "peak bandwidth" for Americans.
- drlha, on 11/01/2007, -0/+12Population density doesn't explain why my cable modem connection today gives me the exact same service as when I first got a cable modem 6 years ago, about 350 kilobytes/s download give or take. It might be a 100 k/s faster than when I first got cable modem, maybe.
In the UK and other countries bandwidth has basically doubled every year, where the US has stayed static. That and why am I still paying $45 for cable modem? Oh that's right, because if I want internet I have one choice: Comcast. - breezyflight, on 10/31/2007, -0/+11It sucks. It's getting worse, and you are part of the problem. Stop defending failure.
- manstein01, on 11/05/2007, -4/+15If you have ever tried to get permits to run cable in urban buildings you would understand. There is a reason Verizon has stayed away from inner-cities so far with FIOS.
- listrophy, on 11/01/2007, -1/+12Wait, you're saying that Cable TV + Crazy-fast 5 Mbps Internet + Phone Service for an introductory $129.97 is expensive‽ Surely, you jest!
Oh, and my cable company is great for the local economy, too! It's saving me from the evil of watching the Big 10 Network at home so I have to go to a bar to watch a football game that is being played mere hundreds of yards away! [pardon the extreme punctuation of this post... I felt it necessary] - lordmike, on 11/07/2007, -4/+14It's no surprise... the "invisible hand" of the unregulated free market sometimes works in the consumer's favor (i.e. WalMart), other times it works against the consumer (Cable TV and Telecommunications in general)... In this case you have a small oligopoly of providers providing 100% of the service... Even if they are not explicitly colluding as a trust (by fixing prices and service amongst themselves), their business method is very monopolistic and territorial. There is no incentive to "shake things up," as it were, because there is very limited competitive pressure. In essence, there is implicit collusion amongst the telecoms to keep prices high and service low. Someone like Google entering into the wireless Internet market could seriously upset the apple cart (no pun intended) and force the telecoms to actually compete... which is why they are fighting so hard to keep Google out of the business... It would bust their monopoly....
- drlha, on 11/01/2007, -1/+11If you think we're in an "unregulated free market" you need to go back to school.
- drlha, on 11/01/2007, -0/+10Yes, I heard that all of Europe's cable TV systems were destroyed in WWII also and that's why they have better cable TV/internet now.
- mactaggart, on 11/01/2007, -0/+10So, is "In France" now the polar opposite of "In Soviet Russia"?
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