Web Hosting Company C I Host Calls For Broadband-Friendly Legislation In Telecom Ac

(May 21, 2005) On the heels of a new report showing that the United States has fallen further behind other countries in the percent of broadband subscribers, C I Host, Web hosting and Internet solutions provider, domain name registrar (DNR) and application service provider (ASP) serving 215,000 individual consumers and businesses in 190 countries worldwide, has set “broadband-friendly” legislation as one of its top priorities for the Telecom Act now being discussed in Congress.

“For our country to remain competitive, Congress must loosen the regulations that are preventing the level of broadband growth that our economy needs,” said Christopher Faulkner, CEO of C I Host. “We need up-to-date telecommunication regulations that reflect the realities of today’s information and market needs.”

The United States fell to 16th place from 13th place in broadband penetration, measured as the number of broadband subscribers per 100 residents at the end of 2004, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

According to the ITU, only 11 percent of U.S. residents have broadband Internet access compared to 25 percent in South Korea, the top-ranked country. The United States also fell behind Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Norway, Israel, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, among others.

In a separate report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States also showed a serious slide, from 4th place in 2001 to 10th in 2003. When the final calculations are complete for 2004, the U.S. is expected to be in 12th or 13th place, OECD officials said.

“We need vibrant competition in the broadband marketplace and a strong public policy that promotes broadband,” Faulkner said. “Even though overall broadband penetration increased to 11.4 from 9.8 per 100 residents, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with European and Asian nations that have a strong policies that encourage competition.”

Extensive broadband networks will be required for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) to become accessible to American consumers.