What are these "other countries"? Yes, one can point to some countries that are doing considerably better on broadband on speed to some customers - specifically Japan, South Korea, and France. After those three, speeds drop off a cliff (to the 10-20Mbps range).

And Not everything is perfect in those countries. About 35% of Japan's broadband users are on lowly DSL. And Japan, while having one of the most urban and tech-savvy populations out there, has lower broadband penetration than the United States. That's right, a greater percentage of Americans have broadband than Japanese people. France, despite its urban population, barely beats the US on broadband penetration and most of it is DSL! A tiny fraction of it (a few percentage) is cable of fiber.

Part of the problem is how the OECD reports on broadband. They report on advertised offers of service (and what speeds companies are advertising as their theoretical maximum). US companies tend to create a uniform structure where they serve their urban areas in the same way they serve their suburban areas.

And it should be noted that the US is 7th in fiber connections and 15th of 30 in penetration all with one of the most subruban/rural populations. So, saying that we're behind is factually wrong. Saying that we're mediocre could be correct.

The US should improve. It needs to improve. However, the situation isn't as dire as many like to make it seem. Many countries are getting in the 10-20Mbps range and the US is on the low end of that at 9-10Mbps. It should improve. It should be a priority. However, it also needs to be noted that the situation isn't as rosy in other countries as people make it out to be and the US does have a more difficult challenge due to its suburban/rural population.

*All statistics come from the OECD broadband statistics.