US Ranked 28th In Internet Connection Speed
Posted on: Wednesday, 26 August 2009, 10:15 CDT
The US has been ranked 28th in worldwide average Internet speed, according to a new report.
Issued Tuesday by the Communications Workers of America, the nationwide study found that Internet speed in the US has increased by only 1.6 megabits per second (mbps), from 3.5 mbps from 2007 to 2009.
The CWA’s 2009 Speed Matters Speed Test shows that at the current rate, it would take 15 years for US Internet connection speed to catch up with those of South Korea, the top ranked nation in terms of Internet speed.
The Speed Test is based on collected data from more than 413,000 Internet users between May 2008 and May 2009.
The test shows that just 20 percent of those studied had Internet speed in the range of the top three ranked countries – South Korea, Japan and Sweden.
Additionally, the test showed that 18 percent of users were operating at connection speeds that are too low to be classified as current-generation broadband – at least 768 kbps downstream.
"The US has not made significant improvement in the speeds at which residents connect to the Internet," the report said.
"Our nation continues to fall far behind other countries."
"People in Japan can upload a high-definition video in 12 minutes, compared to a grueling 2.5 hours at the US average upload speed," it added.
Research found that connection speeds generally improved in certain regions of the US. For instance, the five fastest states were Delaware (9.9 mbps), Rhode Island (9.8 mbps), New Jersey (8.9 mbps), Massachusetts (8.6 mbps) and New York (8.4 mbps).
Conversely, the slower states include Mississippi (3.7 mbps), South Carolina (3.6 mbps), Arkansas (3.1 mbps), Idaho (2.6 mbps) and Alaska (2.3 mbps).
The authors urge for more growth in Internet infrastructure, citing data that shows for every $5 billion invested in broadband infrastructure to create these networks, 97,500 new jobs in the telecommunications, computer and IT sectors will be created.
"Every American should have affordable access to high-speed Internet, no matter where they live. This is essential to economic growth and will help maintain our global competitiveness," said Larry Cohen, president, Communications Workers of America.
"Unfortunately, fragmented government programs and uneven private sector responses to build out Internet access have left a digital divide across the country."
"I applaud the Obama Administration and Congress for their commitment to develop a national plan that restores U.S. leadership in high-speed Internet policy," said Cohen.
“Improving broadband deployment, connection speeds, and adoption will help facilitate job and business growth.”
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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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