Romanians Challenge Sanders on Broadband Comments
Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders faced scrutiny for how he expressed one of his broadband policy stances last week. “Today, people living in Bucharest, Romania have access to much faster Internet than most of the US,” said Sen. Sanders, I-Vt.,…
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on his Twitter account. “That’s unacceptable and must change.” His tweet inspired several irate reactions and a website: berniespeedtest.com. The website showcases the Sanders tweet. “Romania's extremely fast internet seems to have shocked Mr. Bernie Sanders this morning,” the website said. “But what will Bernie think about your internet connection? Take the speed test below.” The website said its creators are “some guys from Romania (not the billionaires)” and also reassures Sanders: “Don't worry Bernie, we still like you. Greetings from Romania.” Some observers dug deeper into the policy differences between the U.S. and Romania. “Responses to Sanders’s musings have ranged from indignation to amusement over his befuddlement on how a relatively poor country can fare so well in the digital sector,” said economics professor Carmen Elena Dorobăț in a blog post for Mises Institute, focused on Austrian economics. “But the answer to the confusion is simple; furthermore, it is not a technical explanation -- relating to innovative engineering or the organization principles of the networks -- but an economic one. The Internet service providers market in Romania has been one of the least regulated markets in the world.” Broadband policy has factored relatively little in the 2016 presidential campaign season so far. Several consumer advocates, including Common Cause, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge, had sent a letter to Fox News GOP debate moderators asking them to query the GOP candidates on broadband policy during Thursday’s debate, but they never did.