Is U.S. stuck in Internet's slow lane?
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First, I hear a lot of critics complain about the low percentage of Americans online period, let alone with broadband connections. Have these people forgotten that we're a nation of some 300 million people within an area double that of the European Union? America wasn't built in a decade, anduniversal broadband access won't be either.
Second, why is it so imperative thatpeople have Internet access? It seems like these old farts in Washington are buying into the younger generation's hype.The Internet makes some communication easier, particularly in business, but at the expense of realworld social interaction. It gives the curious an opportunityto learn things that they might never have otherwise, yet at the same time is allows the ignorant to spread gossip, lies, and misinformation among their peers. It's amazing that tech advocates talk about South Korea's broadband coverage, yet don't mention that the nation is roughly 1% the size of ours (very densely packed, at that) and that it has a serious problem with "online addiction" among the youth.
In effect, the Internetdoesn't solve any more problems than it creates. And now the feds want to pay for everyone to have it, whether they want it or even know what to do with it? It seems to me that if people want it badly enough, they'll get it without needing taxpayer money.
Not Enough Broadband?
