Why Switzerland has 25 gbit internet and America doesn't

Scope of Swiss vs US Internet

• Many argue the key difference is structure, not raw technology: Swiss last‑mile fiber is treated as shared infrastructure, with multiple ISPs competing over it; US last‑mile is typically privately owned, often yielding monopolies/duopolies.
• Several note this is a classic “natural monopoly” case: it’s wasteful to trench multiple physical networks, so regulation should make the pipe shared and competition service‑level.
• Others push back that the US is far larger and sparser, making universal fiber 8× less economical per household.

Population Density, Geography, and Scale

• One camp stresses US size and low average density, especially exurbs and rural areas, as major cost drivers.
• Critics call this a red herring: most Americans live in cities/suburbs comparable to Europe; examples like New Jersey, Massachusetts, Spain, Sweden, and rural fiber co‑ops show good networks are possible in large or sparse regions.
• Some distinguish physical difficulty (mountains, packed ducts) from political difficulty (permitting, regulation, corruption).

Regulation, “Free Market,” and Capture

• Many say the US broadband market is not truly “free”: franchise rules, right‑of‑way control, pole access, and bans on municipal broadband create legal moats for incumbents.
• Others argue over‑regulation, not under‑regulation, is the problem; counter‑arguments blame regulatory capture and ideology hostile to public infrastructure.
• Examples from Switzerland, New Zealand, Spain, and parts of Australia are cited as variants of “single or shared physical network, many ISPs.”

Speed, Price, and Actual Needs

• Several note that 25 Gbps is available but uncommon in Switzerland and in a few US regions (Ziply, GFiber, Sonic, UTOPIA, etc.).
• Many users say 500 Mbps–1 Gbps is already more than enough; bottlenecks are Wi‑Fi, SSDs, remote servers, or peering, not last‑mile speed.
• Others value cheap symmetric gigabit as transformative (large game downloads, datasets, self‑hosting), even if 25 Gbps is mostly aspirational.

Data and Anecdotes

• Speedtest data reportedly shows similar average fixed speeds for US and Switzerland; commenters warn of sampling bias (people test mainly when connections are bad).
• Thread contains many anecdotes: excellent rural fiber via co‑ops, terrible NYC/Spectrum experiences, high‑speed but pricey or asymmetric plans in various countries.

Meta‑Debate and Nationalism

• Some dismiss the article as clickbait, anti‑US, or oversimplified; others say it highlights a real US “capitalism crisis” of weak competition.
• Recurrent tension between “America is uniquely hard” explanations and accusations of “cope” and defeatism.