Does the Iranian Government Intentionally Limit Access to High Speed Internet Connections?
May 27th, 2008 — idteamThere are many who argue that the Iranian government is intentionally limiting the speed of the Internet to hinder access to information on the Web. As Victoria Stodden wrote last week, Iran’s Internet use is quite high relative to the rest of the Middle East. However, RFE/RL reports that in many cases download speeds are as many as 100 times slower than the average speed in the US or Europe. The story quotes Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister Mohammad Soleimani as saying that there are not enough private Internet users in Iran who are wiling to pay for high-speed Internet connections (officially, only universities, the government and companies can have high-speed access).
It seems highly unlikely that there are not enough private users in Iran based on demands around the world for faster connections to fully enable many Web 2.0 applications and video downloads, including here in the US, as Persephone Miel notes. Cost of course also continues to be an issue that limits access in Iran. The article also argues that limiting Internet speed is another low-cost way for the government to filter content.
While many have commented that Iran is intentionally limiting access to high-speed broadband, has anyone seen any proof that the Iranian government intentionally limits high speed access?
Click Here