Posted by Speed Matters team | August 18, 2008
This election season, the Obama campaign has encouraged people to host grassroots events as part of the process to develop the Democratic platform. Organizers have been working hard to put together meetings on a huge variety of issues -- and CWA members were no exception.
At meetings around the country, CWA members came together to discuss the need for the U.S. to adopt a comprehensive high speed Internet policy to achieve universal access.
One such meeting in Columbus, Ohio, was hosted by Frank Mathews, chair of the Ohio State Council, president of Local 4321 in southern Ohio, and member of the Ohio Broadband Council. In addition to addressing health care, taxes, trade and other issues, the 20 attendees submitted a statement on the importance of high speed Internet:
"For our children and ourselves, to grow our economy, and to create good jobs we need affordable high-speed broadband to every American family, business, and community. Just like we made sure that everyone has access to telephone service, we must make sure that everyone has access to high-speed Internet, the communications system of the 21st century. We cannot leave rural areas behind."
A similar statement was developed at another meeting in Richmond, Virginia, hosted by Richard Hatch, executive vice president of Local 2201. Here's how Hatch described their meeting:
"Our meeting was mainly focused on the horrors of getting a decent internet speed in the rural areas surrounding Richmond, VA. Some of our attendees told stories of how they live 20 minutes outside of Richmond and only have the option of dial-up service. They felt that it puts their kids at a disadvantage to other children around the country in achieving a good education and competing for limited college openings."
And Darrin Simmons of Local 9421 in Sacramento reports that at their meeting planks were submitted on economic, health care, energy, and communications technology policy. Here is their statement on high speed Inter0
net access:
"To assure economic growth and job creation, we must restore U.S. leadership in truly high-speed networks for everyone. We must guarantee wide-open Internet access to all free from degradation or roadblocks of any kind."
As a result of these efforts like these nationwide, the finalized Democratic platform contains strong provisions calling for universal high speed Internet access.
See the text of the platform's dealing with high speed Internet after the jump.
» Continue Reading
Posted by Speed Matters team | August 18, 2008
Life in the fast lane on the Internet depends on where you live, what you earn, and what time of day you try to connect.
The LA Times technology blog compares the state of the U.S. Internet to a "dog that sometimes runs kind of fast and other times slogs along."
Why is the LA Times comparing Internet speeds to a dog?
Our latest study on Internet download speeds in the United States of course. The blog post found that not only does the median download speed differ dramatically state to state, it can differ dramatically within the same state - using North Hollywood's sluggish and Topanga's blazing speeds as an example.
CWA's own Debbie Goldman explains in the article:
"We're behind the rest of the world and it really matters. The jobs of the future depend on having the best networks possible."
The LA Times was one of a wide variety of blogs and traditional media to cover the report. Top technology blogs Slashdot and WebProNews, newspapers including The Boston Globe, The Washington Post and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a variety of local political blogs all covered the report. In all, over 60 different sources covered or analyzed the results of our survey.
Of all the coverage, Wired Magazine's Epicenter Blog summed up the survey the best:
"The bad news: Broadband adoption slipped to a seven-year low last quarter. The worse news: It could take a century for the United States to catch up to broadband speeds in Japan, given the rate at which services are improving here."
Links
U.S. and California Internet speeds still not speedy (LA Times)
Speed Matters second annual state-by-state survey (Report)
US Broadband Won?t Catch UP With Japan?s For 101 Years (Slashdot)
U.S. Broadband Speeds Remain Sluggish (WebProNews)
Survey clocks Internet speeds and guess who?s tops (The Boston Globe)
DC area gets high marks for Internet speeds (The Washington Post)
Go to Rhode Island for fast Internet, skip Alaska (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
U.S. Broadband Speeds Too Darn Slow; Adoption Hits 7-Year-Low (Wired)
Posted by Speed Matters team | August 12, 2008
Speed Matters has released our second annual state-by-state Internet speed report, and the results show the U.S. still has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world.
Our report found the average U.S. Internet speed was 2.3 megabits per second (mbps), representing a minimal gain of 0.4 mbps over last year's average speed. At this rate, it will take us more than a hundred years to catch up to Japan, where average speeds are estimated at 63 mbps.
But as CWA President Larry Cohen said, Americans can't wait that long:
"This isn’t about how fast someone can download a full-length movie. Speed matters to our economy and our ability to remain competitive in a global marketplace. Rural development, telemedicine and distance learning all rely on truly high-speed, universal networks."
The new report is based on data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the Speed Matters Speed Test -- almost three times the number of tests taken for last year's inaugural state-by-state report. The fastest states were Rhode Island, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts, while the slowest speeds were in rural states: Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska.
This shows the clear need for policies that help boost high speed Internet access in all parts of the U.S., and particularly in remote and lightly populated areas.
One strong step in this direction would be passage of the Broadband Data Improvement Act (S.1492), an crucial piece of legislation that will help our government determine which parts of the country have high speed access and which do not.
The new Speed Matters state-by-state report is an important indicator of the need for a national high speed Internet policy, but making that a reality will take the commitment of our government, the private sector, and the American people.
Links
Speed Matters State-By-State Internet Speed Report
Speed Matters Speed Test
80,000 Speed Testers Send a Powerful Message (Speed Matters)
Senator Inouye Introduces Broadband Data Improvement Act (Speed Matters)
Posted by Speed Matters team | August 11, 2008
BuisnessWeek recently called for a national high speed Internet policy in an column written by Bruce Mehlman and Larry Irving, co-chairmen of the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a coalition of business and nonprofit organizations that is committed to widespread usage and availability of high speed Internet.
The writers argue that our leaders in government need to get beyond partisan and ideological warfare to bring the important advantages of high speed Internet to all Americans.
"The next President -- whether Barack Obama or John McCain -- has an extraordinary opportunity to ensure that all Americans have affordable access to broadband and the skills and knowledge to benefit from it. This must start with development of a national broadband strategy, a coherent road map of policies and goals that complement and accelerate efforts in the marketplace to achieve universal adoption of affordable high-speed Internet connections."
IIA announced that it is forming a group of Broadband Ambassadors consisting of executives from TiVo, Ciena, and VeriSign, and representatives from organizations such as ConnectedNation. The coalition will help raise awareness about the need for improving U.S. high speed Internet access and make policy recommendations.
It is encouraging that even more voices are joining Speed Matters in making the call for a national high speed Internet policy.
Links
Wanted: A National Broadband Policy (BusinessWeek)
Connected Nation
Posted by Speed Matters team | August 7, 2008
Five years ago, experts thought that the growth of the Internet would make libraries obsolete. However, instead of killing off libraries, the Internet has led to larger circulations and more regular patrons at many public libraries. According to a Gannett News Service analysis of local library systems, attendance at libraries has increased 10 percent and circulation has increased nine percent in a five year time period from Februrary 2001 to June 2005.
The growth of public libraries can be attributed largely to the initiative of most libraries to provide free high-speed Internet for their patrons. According to the Gannett study, there were 175,000 computers at public libraries offering free Internet access in 2006 -- an increase of 39 percent from 2001. Only about a third of households with collective incomes under the poverty threshold have Internet access, leaving millions of households without in-home access.
Geri Feucht, a library director from Horicon, WI, described the use of the Internet at her library:
"A lot of people come in every day to use the Internet. We have regulars, people who don't own computers. We do see ourselves as the center of the community and believe we are necessary for quality of life."
Much of the credit for the spread of Internet availability at public libraries can be given to the federal E-Rate program, which provides discounts to schools and libraries for Internet connectivity. In addition, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $325 million in its U.S. Libraries initiative.
Links
In Internet age, libraries plug in (FDL Reporter)
Library Systems Database (Gannett News Service)
Ensuring the Internet Is a Resource for All (Gates Foundation)
