China’s Fiber Broadband Internet Approaches Nationwide Coverage; US Lags Severely Behind

In 2013, 17 percent of consumers in both China and the US had access to a fiber internet connection. Fast forward to 2019, China’s penetration has jumped to 86 percent while the US is only at 25 percent. While America continues to suffer from an immense digital divide, China’s government has made incredible progress building out a state-sponsored super network of fiber optic connections. Despite the constant posturing and discussion about the importance of fiber, the US has not been effective at deploying a nationwide fiber optical network. Why is this? Though there are many factors contributing to this trend, a few stick out as especially difficult obstacles: 

• Lack of Private Competition
• Inadequate Broadband Mapping
• Inefficient National Funding Programs
• Absence of Common Sense State-Level Infrastructure Policies