FCC says US behind on broadband

An FCC report has shown that the US continues to lag behind the leading countries in the OECD when it comes to the Internet. Out of 29 countries evaluated for their mobile and fixed broadband adoption rates, the US ranked only 9th and 12th, respectively. Fixed broadband has been adopted by 63 percent of US households leaving it behind adoption rates in countries such as the UK, South Korea and Iceland.

The study also demonstrated that average download speeds reported in large European and Asian cities was also faster than in comparable US cities. In New York, the average download speed was 11.7Mbps. This compared with South Korea, where the average download speed was around three times faster at 35.8Mbps.

A supplementary report delivered by the FCC also showed that up to 26 million Americans, who live mostly in rural regions, do not have access to either fixed or mobile broadband services. Up to one third of Americans do not subscribe to broadband services for reasons including cost, relative levels of digital literacy and concerns about online privacy.

The two reports will be presented to Congress as the FCC aims to update Congress on the status of the US in terms of its Internet competitiveness on a world standing. [via Reuters]

By Electronista Staff

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