'Shooting the Messenger' Myth vs. Reality: U.S. Broadband Policy and International Broadband Rankings

Publication Date: July 2007

Publisher: Free Press (Organization)

Author(s): S. Derek Turner

Research Area: Media, telecommunications, and information

Keywords: Broadband; International Rankings; OECD

Type: Report

Abstract:

On April 23, 2007, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released
their latest semi-annual broadband penetration rankings, which revealed that the United States had fallen to 15th place among the 30-member nations, down from 12th place just six months earlier. Free Press found that the major critiques leveled at the OECD data simply fall apart upon closer examination. The coordinated attempt to "shoot the messenger" cannot hide critical failures in the
U.S. broadband market. This paper exposes the myths put forward to excuse the shortcomings of the U.S. broadband market.