New OECD stats show U.S. shortcomings

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released its latest data on broadband use among its 34 member states and, not surprisingly, it’s up. According to the group, which represents mostly the wealthier nations (and excludes China and India), as of June, 2013, wireless broadband penetration has grown to nearly 70 percent, up 17 percent from the previous year.

The United States is seventh in wireless broadband subscriptions, but lags behind in high-speed fixed broadband. Although last-generation DSL is still most prevalent in OECD countries, many are making the transition to fiber, with Japan and South Korea leading the way. The U.S., on the other hand, has an acceptable growth rate in fiber, but we rank 14th in percentage of fiber connection, with subscriptions less than 10 percent.

To see the statistics broken down by country and category, go to the OECD’s Broadband Portal update.

OECD broadband statistics update (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], Jan. 9, 2014))

OECD Broadband Portal (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], Jan. 9, 2014))

OECD stats: The U.S. has the most broadband subscribers, but still has some work to do (Gigaom, Jan. 9, 2014)