In the U.S. -- and to a degree here in Canada -- there is a growing public policy debate about "network neutrality", the idea that the Internet and data networks generally ought to be open and based on international standards. Open or neutral networks, the thinking goes, allows for greater innovation, reliability and, not insignificantly, greater customer choice.

With that in mind, The Washington Post reports today that the U.S. -- where networks are arguably more "closed" than elsewhere is being left in the dust when it comes to bandwidth available to customers and to Internet-based applications:

Japan's Warp-Speed Ride to Internet Future

TOKYO -- Americans invented the Internet, but the Japanese are running away with it.

Broadband service here is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States -- and considerably cheaper. Japan has the world's fastest Internet connections, delivering more data at a lower cost than anywhere else, recent studies show.

Accelerating broadband speed in this country -- as well as in South Korea and much of Europe -- is pushing open doors to Internet innovation that are likely to remain closed for years to come in much of the United States...