If you’re reading this now, chances are you’re online. In the past decade the Internet has become a central force in our lives, responsible for everything from our bank accounts to our celebrity gossip, and with technology so prevalent some are now arguing for free broadband access. Should surfing the Net remain a cash business, or is it time for free admission into cyberspace?
Despite the constant stream of stories in the media painting a bleak picture of America’s broadband landscape, the evidence reveals a thriving marketplace for high-speed Internet access in the United States. Specifically, 95% of all homes passed by cable—or roughly 118 million households—can sign up for cable broadband. DSL is available to 79% of all households that have telephone lines. Fiber to the home will be available to 12 millions homes by the end of 2008. Third-generation “3G” wireless broadband covers the primary residences of more than 9 out of 10 Americans. And satellite broadband is available to anyone living in the lower 48 who has a clear view of the southern sky.
Thanks to those competing choices, the price of broadband service is quickly declining. From February 2004 to April 2008, the average monthly broadband bill in the U.S. declined by about 8%, while speeds increased dramatically.
There is little reason for government to meddle with the broadband marketplace when each year broadband speeds are increasing, availability is expanding, and prices are dropping.
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