USA Becomes A Also-Ran Broadband Country - ITIF International Broadband Rankings And How We Could Change.

Click on the image for a readable size

ITIF International Broadband Rankings (2008) http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a US-based not-for-profit organisation has published the 2008 ITIF International Broadband Rankings. (PDF)
South Korea (Country Profile PFD) is the top ranked country in the world with 93 percent adoption with average download bandwith of 49.5 Mbps and at a cost per Mbps being US $ 0.37. Read the country profile to find out how they managed it.Japan (Country Profile PDF) leads in both download speed (63.6 Mbps) and lowest cost (US $ 0.13).
Contrary to some analysts and advocates claim, the United States’ broaband ranking has fallen steadily for this decade. The country is now 15th in 30 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries, dropping from 12th position in 2007. The chard belows shows the OECD ranking of the same countries and again USA is #15.
IETF recommend that U.S. policymakers take the following steps:

1. Enact more favorable tax policies to encourage investment in broadband networks, such as accelerated depreciation and exempting broadband services from federal, state, and local taxation.

2. Continue to make more spectrum, including “white spaces,” available for next-generation wireless data networks.

3. Expand the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service Broadband Program and target the program to places that currently do not have non-satellite broadband available.

4. Reform the federal Universal Service Fund program to extend support for rural broadband to all carriers, and consider providing the funding through a reverse auction mechanism.

5. Fund a national program to co-fund state-level broadband support programs, such as Connect Kentucky or North Carolina e-NC Authority.

6. Promote the widespread use of a national, user-generated, Internet-based broadband mapping system that would track location, speed, and price of broadband.

7. State and local governments should take action to make it easier for providers to deploy broadband services, including making it easier to access rights-of-way.

To encourage the growth of consumer demand for broadband, we recommend that U.S. policymakers take these steps:

8. Support initiatives around the nation to encourage broadband usage and digital literacy.

9. Fund a revitalized Technology Opportunities Program, with a particular focus on the development of nationally scalable Web-based projects that address particular social needs, including law enforcement, health care, education, and access for persons with disabilities.

10. Exempt broadband Internet access from federal, state, and local taxes.

11. Support new applications, including putting more public content online, improving e-government, and supporting telework, telemedicine, and online learning programs.