US Internet Connection Speed Falling Behind Advanced Nations

Are you happy with your current Internet connection speed? The results of a nationwide study of Internet connection speeds in the US revealed little progress over the previous year in the country’s median data download speed. At present rate, the study suggests that it would take the US more than one hundred years to catch up with current Internet speeds in Japan.

The national report is based on aggregated data from nearly 230,000 Internet users who took the online Speed Matters Speed Test, a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The Speed Test, which measures the last-mile speed of a user’s Internet connection, shows that the median real-time download speed in the U.S. is a mere 2.3 megabits per second (mbps). The best available estimates show average download speeds in Japan of 63 mbps, in South Korea of 49 mbps and in France of 17 mbps. That means the same multimedia file that takes four minutes to download in South Korea would take nearly an hour and a half to download in the U.S.

Speed Matters was launched in September 2006 to help bridge the digital divide and keep America competitive by encouraging Congress, and the next president, to develop and pass a telecommunications policy fit for the 21st century.

So, if you are not happy with your Internet connection speed, I understand you. You’re not alone.