Washington falls behind many competing states and countries when it comes to Internet speed and access to broadband connections, according to a new report. Worse, the public seems to accept a low standard.
The median download speed in Washington is about 362 kbps, about seven times slower than in Japan, according to the report by the Communication Works of America. The data seem to come from surveys of people around the state who have DSL or cable connections. USA Today has a succinct summary of the report and national data.
The report suggests six policies that could promote more, faster Web access and Internet-related business. At least three seem to make sense on a regional level: 1) improve data collection to track actual speeds, 2) create public-private partnerships to promote deployment and 3) reform universal service subsidies that support voice service over data.
How much traction can the issue gain when cable and phone companies tout their services as "blazing fast," despite data that suggest otherwise? Citizens are hardly taught to expect more. I'm the first to admit that I don't know if my service is slow because of Comcast, my connection or my computer.
So far the subject hasn't caught on among local leadership. A caller on a Seattle radio show (starting at 27:50) last week asked King County Executive Ron Sims what's being done to expand access to high-speed Internet. Sims ducked the question, made vague reference to franchise agreements with cable companies, and continued talking about how important it is to get managers to allow telecommuting.