FCC Commissioner McDowell debunks OECD broadband rankings

FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell gave an outstanding speech today at the Broadband Policy Summit in which he did the single best job I have seen totally debunking the OECD rankings that purportedly indicate the US is falling behind on broadband.

Commissioner McDowell explains with example after example -- how skewed the OECD methodology is.

• My personal favorite line in the speech was on how the OECD methodology is skewed against the US:

• "...even if every existing broadband subscriber in America had a fiber-fed 100 mbps broadband connection, we would only rank 12th."

• Another great example from the speech:

• "...Alaska, which has a land mass roughly the size of Western Europe, but less than one percent of its population, had 18.7 broadband subscribers per 100 residents, versus France’s 17.7. That’s right, Alaska is more saturated with broadband services than France."

FCC Commissioner McDowell's speech is a breath of free market, de-regulatory fresh air and common sense.

I can only chuckle when I remember hearing Chairman Markey and Senate Commerce Committee Democrats in their Spring hearings on broadband -- reading their Moveon.org talking points -- "that there is no debate that America is falling behind on broadband."

• I guess that's true when your ears are closed to anyone who disagrees with you...