I'm resigned to the US never having speeds close to that. Never. I've heard everything from "it's market forces" to "it's the government's/FCC's/President/your mayor's fault" to "we're too far apart" to "the people don't want it so they don't ask for it". Which is it? Or is it a combination of all factors creating some "perfect storm" of awful service and slow speed?

I don't even bother streaming HD on Netflix or youtube because of the burps and buffering.

I wonder how things can get done so seemingly fluidly in terms of technology and broadband adoption in other countries, where it's either super-socialist or statist (like Nordic countries) or mythical in its backroom, nepotistic corruption (like apparently Asia, including HK). How does anything get done in other countries if its so galactically hard to do so in the US, even in places with aboslute population density like NY and LA?

Is it really the federal government? Or is it local government? I'd hate to think it is. I mean that HK 1Gbps line _has_ to be somewhat funded or subsidized by their government, either by funding the laying of fibre or some other thing.

What's more, our wireless speeds are bad, too. I mean, my brother was recently in Vietnam and he said their 3G connection consistency and speed blew the US equivalent out of the water. Of course, 3G adoption is likely not as high as here in the US, but the point stands.