U.S. broadband stuck in the slow(er) lane

TEXT OF STORY

SCOTT JAGOW: The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will hold a hearing Tuesday on how America compares to other countries in terms of broadband access. As Nancy Marshall-Genzer reports, the committee members won’t be getting good news.

NANCY MARSHALL GENZER: According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. ranks 15th among 30 industrialized nations in high-speed Internet access. Iceland came in first, and countries with lower population densities, like Sweden and Norway, also rank high.

All of those governments have led the way in wiring for Internet access. Design News Editor John Dodge says Singapore is another good example.

JOHN DODGE: Singapore, seven or eight years ago, set up a huge initiative to connect all the islands and become a totally wireless soceity with high-speed Internet. And that was a government initiative.

Dodge says the U.S. has relied on the free market to wire the country for Internet access. The Federal Communications Commission has been looking into broadband availability and competition among Internet providers.

In Washington, I’m Nancy Marshall-Genzer for Marketplace.