HartleySpurlock.com

People in the United States basically invented the Internet. So U.S. connections must be the fastest and cheapest in the world, right?

Not so much.

Broadband Internet speeds in the United States are only about one-fourth as fast as those in South Korea, the world leader, according to the Internet monitoring firm Akamai.

And, as if to add insult to injury, U.S. Internet connections are more expensive than those in South Korea, too.

The slower connection here in the U.S. costs about $45.50 per month on average, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In South Korea, the much-faster hook-up costs $17 per month less. An average broadband bill there runs about $28.50.

So why is U.S. Internet so much slower and pricier than broadband connections in South Korea? The question is timely, as the U.S. government pushes forward with a “broadband plan” that aims to speed up connections, reduce costs and increase access to the Internet, especially in rural areas.

Too bad its currently just an idea. Still a good idea if you want to send Grandma some neat letters she can hang on to.

Sergeant Pablo Emilio Moncayo, 32, was turned over to the Red Cross by his captors at a remote jungle clearing and flown by helicopter to his waiting family in Florencia, 230 miles (370 km) south of the capital Bogota.

Three people were killed and at least six more wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting in southeast Washington on Tuesday evening.