2nd Speed Matters Report: U.S. Continues to Lag in Broadband Rollout

CWA released its second annual survey of Internet connection speeds in the United States and the results show that our nation continues to lag behind other advanced countries when it comes to broadband speed and availability.

This year's results show that the median real-time download speed in this country is 2.3 megabits per second (mbps), far slower than Japan, which is 30 times faster; South Korea, 25 times faster; France,  eight times faster; and Canada, nearly three times faster. The U.S. download figure was slightly greater this year than last year's rate of 1.9 mbps.

The survey is based on unique data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the online Speed Matters Speed Test at www.speedmatters.org. Speed Matters is a Strategic Industries Fund project to spur job creation and economic growth through high speed Internet development.  The campaign is gaining the attention of key regulators and lawmakers and pushing forward an initiative in Congress as the first step toward a national broadband policy.

A brochure summarizing the survey findings will be included in delegate kits at next week's Democratic Convention in Denver, and the full report will be available at a CWA Speed Matters booth at the gathering.

CWA is pressing for Senate passage of S. 1492, the Broadband Data Improvement Act, to move the United States toward a national broadband policy. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed a similar measure, the Broadband Census of America Act, to support the collection of data about broadband deployment.

"This isn't about how fast someone can download a full-length movie. Speed matters to our economy and our ability to remain competitive in a global marketplace," said CWA President Larry Cohen.

The United States "is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote universal, high-speed Internet access—and it shows," Cohen said. True high speed is critical for a growing number of applications – in telemedicine, education, public safety, small business and many more, he said. Internet speed "determines whether we'll have the 21st century networks needed to create the jobs of the future, develop our economy and give our children access to unlimited information."