What the US can and can't learn from Europe about broadband affordability

With broadband affordability especially high on the agenda following the pandemic, it could seem that Europe has all the answers. Yet Europe has its own struggles with digital divide, and it hasn't cracked the affordability problem across the board. Europe has been able to spur more affordable prices thanks to a regulated market environment that promotes competition; open access infrastructure--which in the case of broadband means a physical network that different service providers can all make use of--has allowed multiple companies to compete for customers at a service level, forcing them to offer more competitive prices. Putting too much focus on prices, however, also has the potential to obscure the complicated reality of affordability. A direct dollars-for-dollars comparison with monthly European and US costs for broadband packages doesn't take into account the disparity in average income between the different countries involved. Ultimately there's a tapestry of problems including speed, rural access, income disparity and regulations that are inextricably linked with price that keep people disconnected worldwide.