There has been an interesting discussion this week on Dave Farber's IP List comparing broadband speeds and linking that to the competitive environment. The discussion, which references congressional testimony and an ITIF study, notes how much faster, cheaper, and more competitive broadband services are in countries such as Japan and South Korea (the comparison is with the U.S., though the same holds true for Canada, particularly given recent price increases for both cable and DSL broadband).
Broadband Speeds and Competition
May 23, 2007
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Episode 278: Ben Waldman on Gander Social and the Challenges of Building a Sovereign Social Network
byMichael Geist

August 10, 2026
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Yes, we’re no longer the supermen of technology. We are now the laughingstock of technologically-advanced nations. We, who were once on the leading-edge, now suffer the ignominy of being back-benchers. Why? That’s what I’d like to know. Why do we have “Model-T” broadband and cell phones? Why do we have to drool over technology that we know will never appear on this side of the ocean? Why do we still suffer with CDMA when the rest of the enlightened world flies with GSM? CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME AN ANSWER THAT WILL REALLY SATISFY ME? I sure hope so. It’s embarrassing up here in the “nosebleed section”.
Ah, CDMA is technically superior to GSM by more efficiently using available bandwidth. I just wish is had a SIM card. And besides, if you really prefer it you can always use AT&T or T-Mobile.