U.S. Broadband Market On The Decline

US BROADBAND MARKET ON THE DECLINE
[SOURCE: InformationWeek, AUTHOR: Richard Martin]
The United States is falling further behind other developed countries in broadband network deployment. According to statistics released in April by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States ranked 15th among the OECD's 30 member countries in broadband deployment at the end of 2006. That's three spots below the United States' place on the list a year earlier, and signs point to a continuing decline: The country ranks 20th in the growth rate of broadband penetration. So dismal is the progress that the Federal Communications Commission has launched an inquiry into the state of the U.S. broadband market, focusing on the question of "net neutrality" -- whether big carriers and service providers are prioritizing voice and data traffic for some customers at the expense of others. Against this backdrop, expectations for wireless broadband are high. Wireless broadband is seen as a "third pipe" -- in addition to DSL and cable TV -- into homes and businesses, as a way to spark competition between incumbents and new entrants that leads to new services, and as a way get the United States on par with other countries in overall broadband availability.
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