Almost all of the most successful countries in broadband deployment have opened up the networks of their main carriers to competing service providers, according to a draft report put out for comment on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
The report (PDF) by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society analyzes findings from a range of market-oriented democracies in an effort to understand what approaches have worked best in making sure citizens have adequate high-speed Internet access. The FCC is seeking public comments before Nov. 16.
The question of what makes for a successful national broadband policy has generated heated debate in the U.S. over the past several years, focusing on issues including net neutrality, the Universal Service Fund for rural phone service, and the proper role of government. The U.S. frequently is ranked below many other highly developed countries in studies of overall access to broadband