How Can We Expect to Compete Globally Without High Speed Internet

With the current speed at which our internet services are being delivered to us today, I don’t believe Telcos can expect to compete globally without some serious upgrades. What we need is a national policy that will ensure consumers have access to high-speed internet services that are affordable, fast, reliable, and don’t exclude rural areas or moderate income Americans who may be left behind if we don’t act now.

Students in higher income urban areas will be able to take advantage of Verizon's plan to build FIOS, while shedding its rural lines. Students in high income urban areas should not have an unfair advantage over students where only dial up is available and cable services don’t reach. Many students today are utilizing internet connections to view streaming video and two-way internet applications where the quality of the transmission and how long the transmission takes is essential to their success in the classroom.

AT&T plans to build U-Verse to 50% of households and connect rural areas with wireless technologies. It’s time to support universal, affordable high-speed networks to every American household, regardless of income or where people live or work. If you haven’t tested your internet speed, go to the Speed Matters website and take the speed test to see if you’re actually receiving a high-speed internet connection that matches that of your state or local area.

I was surprised to find out how slow my DSL speed was. DSL is often too slow for many applications and the Telcos need to build high-speed networks to compete with cable’s triple play bundle. If you want more information on “why speed matters”, check out CWA’s website at http://www.speedmatters.org/why/ to find out more.

If you’re still not convinced, read about Kentucky's "Prescription for Innovation." Then ask yourself the following questions: Are consumers entitled to an open internet which allows them to go where they want when they want? Are students all over the country, especially rural areas entitled to high-speed internet access? Should patients in rural areas have to travel hundred of miles to urban hospitals just to receive the proper diagnosis of their illness? Do you define high-speed as 200 kilobits per second (kbps) downstream, when the top speed generally available in Japan is 51 mbps?