The United States has been declining steadily in terms of broadband penetration, said Jonathan Windhausen, president, Telepoly Consulting, speaking at the Washington Office Update at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. In 1999, the U.S. ranked third internationally in percentage of broadband subscribers in the population; in 2006, the rank was 20. And it’s not simply that we have a more rural population than some European or Asian countries, he said. More rural countries, like those in Scandinavia, are far ahead.

Moreover, broadband comes in many flavors, and again the United States lags . The average download speed among broadband users in Canada is twice that of those in the U.S., while in Sweden the multiple is four times and in Japan, which has invested heavily in fiber-optic cables, the multiple is nearly 20.

While Congress has adopted some tactics that may help boost broadband in places, Windhausen commented the United States lacks a national policy. Meanwhile, cable and phone companies maintain a duopoly. In 2004, President George W. Bush, as a candidate for reelection, called for “universal affordable broadband” by 2007; now the government claims that the option of satellite service fulfills that pledge. (Here’s more from the Benton Foundation.)

Given the lack of help from Congress, and the retreat by municipalities from some ambitious Wi-Fi plans, “the best place to turn to is the states,” Windhausensaid. Strategies include tax credits, grant programs, and regulation. He recommended that librarians educate state and local government officials to make sure that broadband policies include libraries. He suggested that libraries work in consortia to share technical expertise. And he advised libraries to negotiate with broadband providers, which typically make deals with large corporate customers.

“Fiber is very good for you,” he quipped, suggesting that only such an installation will prevent libraries from complaining about bandwith pressures for the next decade or two.