From Snail to Racehorse

"America Pays More for Internet, Gets Slower Speeds, Than Other Countries"
Current Event of October 31, 2014
From Huffington Post

My slow is faster than your slow

          Compared to countries across the globe, America pays ten times the amount of money for half of the Internet speed. Korea has one of the fastest speeds available for a price of $30 as opposed to America's $300 service. To many people living in the United States, this is unacceptable. Because of the pressure that America feels to uphold national pride, many private Internet companies have decided to improve the speed of the connection for the people in this country. Prices are going down as new technicians in small towns work to solve the broadband problem. Americans are happy not only because they get to pay less for their Internet service, but the United States is moving up in the ranks once again. U.S. citizens can never have enough national pride. 
          What is particularly interesting about Internet speed and its relative costs, are the restrictions placed on cities by the states. At least 17 of the 50 states have made it illegal for cities to run their own public Internet services. Those people that do want the freedom to make a business out of it are facing a problem. The laws that prohibit people from having city-owned Internet networks are supported by major Internet providers because they do not want to have to deal with competition. This just shows how much of an influence large corporations and businesses have on the laws and policies that govern everyday life. States have to work to please those who have the most influence and funds so that the government receives support in return. The competition between Internet providers may seem inconsequential, but as technology becomes more prevalent in society, the government is beginning to pay more attention to those who have influence in that realm.