The broadband numbers racket

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: dewayne () warpspeed com (Dewayne Hendricks)
Date: September 21, 2009 3:01:36 PM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <xyzzy () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] The broadband numbers racket

The broadband numbers racket

[Commenatry by Thomas W. Hazlett] Cherry picking broadband penetration  
numbers to imply the US is slipping into Third World status is fine  
for a quickie term paper, at least if Wikipedia goes down. But adults  
ought sort through the multi-dimensional complexity of the real world.  
Properly adjusted, the US is between eight and tenth in broadband  
adoption, finds Federal Communications Commission economist Scott  
Walls ten, who also shows that US speed and pricing are competitive  
with most other advanced economies. Moreover, the e-Readiness Index of  
The Economist ranks the US number 1. French and Japanese networks  
languished early in the World Wide Web era, while unregulated US cable  
TV operators pioneered innovations in residential broadband. DSL  
growth in America then surged when it, too, was deregulated. In a  
December 2008 Review of Network Economics study, Anil Caliskan and  
Hazlett show that by year-end 2006 there were 25 million DSL  
households, some 10 million more than predicted by the regulated,  
pre-2003 trend. Controlling for other factors, there was no "loss for  
competition and innovation," but a strong broadband deployment boost.  
This is not an arbitrary international ranking but a natural  
experiment, rich with implication for regulators. Such inquiries into  
the effect of policy measures are vital. No matter where a country  
ranks, better policies will help citizens, consumers, innovators, and  
the economy. To carefully evaluate the alternatives is not to be anti- 
technology, but pro-science. America's high-tech economy deserves no  
less.

<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7005b0f4-a3c5-11de-9fed-00144feabdc0.html>
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