#15! We’re #15!
Posted on May 20th, 2008
WASHINGTON — According to data released today by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), at the end of 2007 the United States ranked 15th out of the 30 member nations in broadband penetration — down from 12th place in 2006, and continuing its slide from fourth place in 2001.
The OECD data is here.
The Chinese helped the US build its railroads, and the US helped China build their information superhighways.
Is this just irony? Or is it the fate of imperial infrastructure?
Perhaps to overtake one’s rival one must start from a clean slate, whether already clean by nature or wiped clean by man.
Seems to me that the US needs to do three things to overtake China:
1) Radically overhaul infrastructure, e.g. fibre, wimax, etc.
2) Radically overhaul market, i.e. competition (unregulated)
3) Radically overhaul diffusion policy, i.e. abolish copyright.
There’ll be dabbling in 1, the paying of lip service to 2, and further worsening of 3 by clamping down so hard even China would be impressed.
So, time to emigrate, perhaps to Sweden?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.....rate_Party
The US used to be the land of the free. No more. For cultural emancipation you have to sail back across the Atlantic ocean.