The economic promise of the Internet is ultimately about how many people can use it and how fast. The transformational promise of the Net is deeply linked to high-speed, broadband access, and all the services and applications that make it possible.

Once a leader in Internet innovation, the U.S. is now falling behind Japan and other Asian countries. Recent statistics show that the “basic” broadband services in American homes are among the slowest, most expensive, and least reliable in the developed world.

According to a new article in the Foreign Affairs journal by former Foreign Service officer Thomas Bleha, the broadband technology lag will cost America in such areas as economic growth, increased productivity, and a better quality of life.

Hear a conversation on the future of Internet innovation in the U.S.

Guests:

Thomas Bleha, former U.S. Foreign Service officer in Japan for eight years. He is writing a book on the race of Internet leadership. His piece in the May/June issue of Foreign Affairs is titled “Down to the Wire.”;
Wade Roush, senior editor, Technology Review.