Why is the
Internet so slow? Or to put it more specifically, why are we used to
internet speeds that are actually dramatically slower than they are in
many other countries, even a number that are less wealthy and
technologically advanced than we supposedly are?
.
This is
important in terms of our chronic impatience, desire to watch endless TV
shows and movies on Netflix and so on. But in the 21st century it's
also critical economic infrastructure with a real affect on growth,
economic competitiveness and so forth. So again, why is the internet so
slow?
.
The standard answer is that internet access in the US is
controlled by huge monopolies who have little incentive to invest in
improving speeds and focus instead on extracting high rents. I have no
doubt that's the main driver. In part this is because on the ground
level I'm sure this is why Time Warner Cable - the company who provides
our internet access at TPM's New York office - provides the worst
service of any company in the history of the universe. Simple. Zero
competition. There's also a pretty ample economic and policy literature
demonstrating the role of monopolies in keeping the internet slow in the
US and competition making it really fast in South Korea for instance.
.
But
I was interested to see this handy list of the countries of the world
ranked by Internet speed. The US is 33rd in the world, aptly perhaps
close tied with Russia at 34. So who's above us? It's an interesting
mix of countries. A number of relatively small and fairly wealthy
countries in Europe - not terribly surprising.
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