Why is it that medical care and prescriptions cost so much in the US, but they're practically free in Europe? In a question regarding economics and regulations, if you have Dick Armey on one side and a coalition of leftists including George Soros on the other side, I know which side is more likely to get my support.
Sorry, VWRCM, you are comparing apples and oranges.
Broadband is cheap in Europe because you can order it at any address from a dozen different companies. As a result, costs come down through competition and because plans get tailored to provide just what speeds or data size limits the consumer wants — you can order lower-throughput or limited service or a very thick pipe without limits or anything in between.
In contrast, most US addresses have one or at the most two possible providers — your cable company, or (only if you live close enough to the center of town) your phone company. And you have two options: get service, or don’t get service. The US has driven out competition.
Contrariwise, medical care is *not* free in Europe — it is paid for by taxes. No taxes currently support Internet service either in the US or Europe and so this comparison is inaccurate.