Early in 2013, the Obama administration stated that “the delivery of fast, affordable and reliable broadband service to all corners of the United States” was invaluable to economic, social and educational development. Despite this, the US has failed to match other countries when it comes to bandwidth capacity. Not only is the US lagging behind, but US citizens are paying more than their global counterparts for slower speeds.
In a study of worldwide bandwidth capacities, the US was ranked 35th out of 148 countries, and is anywhere between 14th to 31st place in various reports of global internet speeds. While the US average of 10Mbps doesn’t sound bad, it is less-than-impressive in comparison to the 42Mbps Riga in Latvia boasts. There is little that can be done aside from the US government’s direct intervention in the matters of ISPs all over the US – until then, these companies are free to continue charging US citizens high prices for stifled internet speeds.
