NYT: Europe Says It Leads U.S. in Broadband Use- by James Kanter

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Europe Says It Leads U.S. in Broadband Use - by James Kanter

The European Union has re-established its lead over the United States in the use of high-speed computer connections, making the Continent “the world leader in broadband Internet,” the European Commission said on Tuesday. Europe’s broadband lead over the United States narrowed to about one percentage point after 2004, when poorer countries from Eastern Europe joined the bloc, said Martin Selmayr, a spokesman for Ms. Reding. The European Union has since regained a lead of three percentage points over the United States, with 23 percent of European homes and business using fixed-line broadband, compared with 20 percent in the United States, Mr. Selmayr said.

Viviane Reding, the commissioner who oversees the Internet, said that the spread of the technology could help power the European economic recovery and that continuing the development of high-speed Internet could create two million jobs by 2015. But she also warned that obstacles needed to be overcome to maximize the economic benefits from digital networks. In particular, Ms. Reding said, European Union member countries should make it easier for new entrants in telecommunications markets. “Governments must show leadership by adopting coordinated policies that dismantle existing barriers to new services,” she said. Despite Europe’s leading position, a third of European Union citizens have never used the Internet, and only 7 percent have bought goods or services online from a vendor based in a neighboring country, Ms. Reding said.