The European Union has re-established its lead over the United States in the use of high-speed computer connections, making the Continent “the world leader in broadband Internet,” the European Commission said Tuesday.
Viviane Reding, the E.U. commissioner who oversees the Internet, said that the spread of the technology could help power the European economic recovery and that continuing the development of high-speed Internet could create two million new jobs by 2015. But she also warned that obstacles needed to be overcome to maximize the economic benefits from digital networks. In particular, Ms. Reding said, E.U. member countries should make it easier for new entrants in telecommunications markets. “Governments must show leadership by adopting coordinated policies that dismantle existing barriers to new services,” she said.
Despite Europe’s leading position, a third of E.U. citizens have never used the Internet and only 7 percent have bought goods or services online from a vendor based in a neighboring country, Ms. Reding said.
She also acknowledged that many young Internet users were reluctant to pay to download or view digital content like music and movies — a factor that could blunt the economic gains from increased network access.
Europe’s broadband lead over the United States narrowed to about one percentage point after 2004, when poorer, less-connected countries from Eastern Europe joined the bloc, said Martin Selmayr, a spokesman for Ms. Reding.
The E.U. has since regained a three percentage point lead over the United States, with 23 percent of European homes and business using fixed-line broadband, compared with 20 percent in the United States, Mr. Selmayr said.
Denmark has 37 percent of homes and businesses fitted with high- speed Internet, the highest percentage in the world, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg, according to figures released Tuesday by the European Commission. The United States ranked 17th globally, about…