Last week the OECD released its update on broadband metrics and the United States lags most developing countries in broadband speeds and price. It is interesting to note that the cost per bit for Internet access is about 4 times higher than in countries that have more than two competitors in the market. These figures once again validate the need for local access competition. Our broadband penetration is respectable considering the population density, but we still lag countries with true competition.
The OECD this week released an update to its much-watched set of broadband metrics. The data set now extends through December 2009, and the US continues to look anemic on most OECD measures.
How about price? The US comes in 19th when measured on “cost per Mbps.” The OECD numbers use Purchasing Power Parity to ensure that the dollar amounts are comparable between countries, and US broadband turns out to cost $8 for each advertised Mbps of service. In Korea, it’s $1.76. The UK, not known for fast speeds, but having decent competition thanks to line-sharing rules, is $1.98. Japan is $2.33