Another rallying cry for U.S. broadband

Is the U.S. facing a "Sputnik moment" in the evolution of broadband? That's what market research firm Strategy Analytics thinks, noting in a new report that "typical speeds advertised by U.S. Cable and DSL providers are in the 3 Mbps [to] 11Mbps range. This still pales in comparison to what the typical Japanese or South Korean consumer receives, where 100 Mbps service is commonplace, and average data rates are on the order of 50Mbps."

Those broadband speed differences won't comes as a surprise to anyone who has been following global broadband trends for the last few years. But, Strategy Analytics suggests that the moment upon us is not unlike the situation the U.S. faced in 1957, when the Russians took a big step forward in the space race with the launch of its first Sputnik satellite. A rallying cry to respond resulted in the creation of NASA, public funding of the U.S. space program and a boom in related industries.

With the presidential election days away and at least one candidate hinting at big broadband changes, perhaps that moment is here. Though, some might say it occurred long ago, and we failed to take full advantage of it.

One question: Does that mean the Japanese and the South Koreans are the new Russians?

For more:
- read this press release

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