The second annual speedmatters.org survey of actual Internet speeds of users nationwide shows that the United States has not made significant improvements in deploying high-speed broadband networks in the past year. Our nation continues to lag behind other industrial nations and currently is ranked 15th in the percentage of residents who have broadband access.

U.S. Internet Speeds In 2008 Show Little Growth Over Previous Year

The results of this second annual survey of Internet speeds show that the United States has not made significant improvement in the speeds at which residents connect to the Internet. Our nation continues to fall far behind other countries.

Between May 2007 and May 2008, nearly 230,000 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — most of them with broadband connections — have gone to the speedmatters.org site to take an Internet speed test and measure how fast their computers can upload and download data. The results of this national survey of actual Internet speeds show just how far the U.S. continues to lag behind other countries.

The median download speed for the nation was 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). In Japan, the median download speed is 63 mbps, or 30 times faster than the U.S. The U.S. also trails South Korea at 49 mbps, Finland at 21 mbps, France at 17 mbps, and Canada at 7.6 mbps. The median upload speed from the speedmatters.org test was just 435 kilobits per second (kbps), far too slow for patient monitoring or to transmit large files such as medical records.

The results of the 2008 speed test show little progress over last year. In 2007, we released the first-ever national survey of actual Internet speeds. The 2007 results showed the median download speed for the 50 states and the District of Columbia was 1.9 megabits per second and the median upload speed was 371 kbps. In other words, between 2007 and 2008, the median download speed increased by only four-tenths of a megabit per second (from 1.9 mbps to 2.3 mbps), and the median upload speed barely changed (from 371 to 435 kbps). At this rate, it will take the United States more than 100 years to catch up with current Internet speeds in Japan.

Most people who went to speedmatters.org to take the speed test used a DSL connection, a cable modem, or a fiber connection. Very few people with dial-up took the test because it took too long. About 15 percent of Americans still connect to the Internet with a dial-up connection. So the median speeds in this report are actually higher than if dial-up Internet users had chosen to participate in the survey.

In other words, even these dismal statistics paint a rosier picture than the reality.

Why Speed Matters

U.S. Economic Growth Depends on High-Speed Internet. We need high-speed Internet for our homes, schools, hospitals, and workplaces. Speed defines what is possible on the Internet. It determines whether we will have the 21st century networks we need to create the jobs of the future, develop our economy, and support innovations in telemedicine, education, public safety, and public services to improve our lives and communities. Most U.S. Internet connections today are not fast enough to permit interactive home-based medical monitoring, multi-media distance learning, or to send and receive data to run a home-based business.

U.S. Trails Far Behind Other Countries. The United States — the country that invented the Internet — has fallen to 15th behind other industrialized nations in the percent of the population subscribing to broadband. In addition, countries like Canada, France, and South Korea have better, faster Internet connections. People in Japan can download an entire movie in just two minutes, but it can take two hours or more in the United States. Yet, people in Japan pay the same as we do for their Internet connection.

Millions of Americans Don’t Have High-Speed Internet. All too many Americans encounter a significant digital divide. Families in rural areas are much less likely to subscribe to broadband. According to surveys, while 57 percent of urban households and 60 percent of suburban households subscribe to broadband, only 38 percent of rural households do. Similarly, whereas 85 percent of Americans who earn over $100,000 a year have broadband, only 25 percent of households that earn less than $20,000 subscribe. Only about one-half (49 percent) of middle-income families earning between $30,000 and $40,000 a year subscribe to broadband.

Download Speed Matters: A Report on Internet Speeds in All 50 States (2008)

PDF format, 5MB, 65Pages.

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Eight Steps To Affordable, High Speed Internet For All

The United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high-speed broadband. There are a number of bold but specific steps that the United States should take to recover our lost leadership and competitive position to ensure that all residents benefit from affordable, high-speed Internet access.

1. ESTABLISH A NATIONAL POLICY GOAL. A reasonable initial goal would be to construct an infrastructure with enough capacity for 10 megabits per second (mbps) downstream and 1 mbps upstream by 2010.

2. DEVELOP STATE AND NATIONAL MAPS OF BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE. Today, we do not have detailed national information about broadband deployment, adoption, speed, and prices. Some progressive states are leading the way by mapping their state’s broadband infrastructure, and Congress is considering legislation that would provide grants to states to support such efforts. In 2008, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated improvements in its broadband data collection, which should facilitate crafting policy to address gaps in deployment and adoption.

3. CREATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND BROADBAND TASK FORCES TO PROMOTE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET DEPLOYMENT AND ADOPTION. One model is ConnectKentucky, where a consortium of telecommunications companies, state and local governments, schools, libraries, health care providers, unions, and community groups came together to create a state broadband map. Then, community teams developed local technology plans to stimulate demand for and adoption of high-speed broadband. As a result, broadband deployment in Kentucky increased from 60 to 95 percent, computer ownership increased 54 percent, and almost 54,000 technology-related jobs were created over a three-year period.5 A number of states have adopted the ConnectedNation model, while still others have created broadband task forces, commissions, or authorities.

4. REFORM UNIVERSAL SERVICE. Today, universal service subsidies support voice telephony service.We should reform the universal service program to support affordable, high-speed Internet for all. In addition, we can adopt tax incentives, low-interest loans, and grants to stimulate build-out of high-speed networks everywhere.

5. NO CHILD OFFLINE. One-third of adults in the United States do not use the Internet, and most of them do not own a personal computer. We should adopt programs — like those in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Maine — that provide free or low-cost computers to low-income households, expand community-
based digital literacy, and fund grants for community-based public-interest broadband applications and services.

6. FASTER SPEEDS. Other countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Sweden, have spurred the deployment of faster networks through direct subsidies, lowinterest loans, and tax incentives. The United States should adopt similar policies.

7. PRESERVE AN OPEN INTERNET.We must protect free speech on the Internet so that people are able to go to the websites they want and download or upload what they want when they want on the Internet. There should be no degradation of service or censoring any lawful content on the Internet. At the same time, reasonable
network management is necessary to preserve an effective and open Internet. Most important, building high-capacity networks will ensure that all Americans have fast, open access to all content on the Internet.

8. SAFEGUARD CONSUMERS AND WORKERS. Public policies should include consumer and worker protections, should support the growth of good, career jobs, and require the public reporting of deployment, actual speed, price, and service.

It is long past time to restore U.S. leadership in high-speed Internet policy. The United States has a lot of ground to cover just to remain competitive with other economies that have already adopted policies that facilitate job growth, business advancement, and individual achievement through access to the latest information technologies. Policymakers must act now to ensure that every American gains access to the benefits of the information age.

Visit Speed Matters Website

Speed Matters— High-Speed Internet for America

High Speed Internet is essential for economic growth and global competitiveness. The United States — the country that invented the Internet — has fallen from 1st to 15th in high speed Internet penetration. High-tech innovation, job growth, telemedicine, distance learning, rural development, public safety, and e-government require truly high speed, universal networks.

Governmental action — in partnership with the private sector — is essential to stimulate broadband investment and adoption. Other countries are far ahead of us. It is time for the United States to take action.

Principles for a National High Speed Internet Policy

Universality. Just as government policies helped bring affordable telephone service to everyone, our policies should ensure that every individual, family, business, and community has access to and can use high speed Internet at a price they can afford — regardless of their income or geographic location.

High Speed. Speed matters on the Internet. U.S policies should promote higher Internet speeds and higher capacity networks. The United States should adopt policies to get us to 10 megabits per second downstream and 1 megabit per second upstream by 2010, with new benchmarks for succeeding years.

Open Internet.We must protect free speech on the Internet so that people are able to go to the websites they want and download or upload what they want when they want on the Internet. There should be no degradation of service or censoring any lawful content on the Internet. At the same time, reasonable network management is necessary to preserve an effective and open Internet.

Most important, building high-capacity networks will ensure that all Americans have fast, open access to all content on the Internet.

Consumer Protections and Good Jobs. Public policies should include consumer and worker protections, should support the growth of good, career jobs, and require the public reporting of deployment, actual speed, price, and service.

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