I will add that to my list of favorite band names….

South Korea is the most wired country in the world with 24.9 broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants.

Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Monaco, Belgium, Tiawan, Israel, and Japan all have a higher rate per 100 population than the United States.

In fact the US has dropped to 20th in penetration. http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0607/

While some of this can be explained by our physical size and fragmentation, it indicates a decline in our competitive position. Access to the internet today is comparable to access to transportation and shipping venues in the industrial age. Without it you were doomed to poverty.

Besides penetration our quality is also lagging. We consider 200 Kbps to be broadband service. In Japan for $10 a month you can get service forty times faster.

The rest of the world is getting cheaper and faster service. They are also getting more American service jobs. Do you think there is a correlation?

somewhat summarized from The World is Flat Release 2.0 by Thomas Friedman

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