The “United States has regained its role as a global...

sold globally run on U.S. operating systems, up from less than 25% three years ago,” the report said. The U.S. has become “a global test bed for wireless technology and services” due to early adoption of 4G LTE tech, it said. The report details how American providers ramped up their efforts over the last two years, and outlines the creation of what the FCC calls “the apps economy,” which it notes has created 500,000 jobs as part of its $20 billion industry. The FCC touted its own efforts to this end and said the 2011 USF/Intercarrier Compensation Transformation Order “transforms the existing high-cost universal service program in order to speed delivery of broadband to all Americans.” In the area of wired broadband adoption, the U.S. “continues to lag behind such countries as South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Germany, but exceeds adoption rates in Israel, Australia, and the EU average,” the report said. This third report, “for the first time, takes a close look at the broadband prices for both fixed and mobile service plans around the world” and finds “U.S. prices for standalone fixed broadband are in the mid-level range in our 38 country survey, but are higher in higher speed tiers,” the FCC said. The agency also released Tuesday a report done annually under Section 706 of the Telecom Act that found for another year that broadband’s not being deployed to all in the U.S. (CD Aug 22 p1).