Internet access

Overview
Internet access has become a significant issue in many parts of the world because the world's commerce and dialogue is increasingly taking place via the internet.

United States
One glaring example of inequity is that the United States, widely regarded as a world leader in technology, provides relatively poor internet access to its citizens by comparison with many technologically lower-ranked countries. This appears to be largely due to the corrupting effects of telecommunications industry lobbyists, who persuade politicians at both the national and state levels to pass laws favoring the telecomm giants and minimizing competition.

This has the effect of dissuading broadband providers from upgrading their service with the latest technology, reducing the service price-to-consumer as the cost of providing it falls, or expanding into areas where broadband is not currently available.

See also internet neutrality.

Reports

 * 2007-11 broadband service statistics by country
 * 2006-08 Broadband Reality Check II: The Truth Behind Americaâ€™s Digital Decline
 * cached as HTML