• by Ryan , August 4, 2009

So I haven’t really posted here a whole lot this summer. It’s been a fairly busy summer, what with working, starting research on my thesis, and traveling, to name a few of the things I’ve been to up to lately (not that I’m making excuses or anything). A few months back, I wrote a post here about my general disappointment with the state of broadband in this country and how I’ve heard great things about broadband in other countries, South Korea and the Netherlands in particular.

Well, I had the pleasure and great fortune of going to the Netherlands last month to study Dutch comics for my graduate program. And as I promised in my post from a couple months ago, I did some informal investigation into the state of broadband in the Netherlands.

Long story short: it’s cheap, fast, and EVERYWHERE!!

Every time I searched the area for local Wi-Fi networks, there were always about ten to fifteen that showed up (compare that to the three to six networks that show up when I perform a network search at home). While there were many networks to choose from, tragically, they were all secure. I don’t know why I was expecting free, open Wi-Fi networks everywhere… doesn’t really make sense if you think about it.

Although there are plenty of secure networks, many are free to join at cafes and restaurants. Plus, the Amsterdam Public Library offers free Internet to any and all travelers that register.

And on my statement that the broadband in the Netherlands is cheap: I saw many advertisements for broadband for 15 Euros per month (which is around $20). Yowza, that’s cheap… at least compared to the $35 to 45 per month in my area.

Probably the most surprising place that I found free Wi-Fi during my travels wasn’t even in the Netherlands; it was in the Dayton International Airport. I’ve never been to an airport that offers free Wi-Fi to all its patrons (you usually have to pay about $8 per day or something equally outrageous).

So if you’ve never been to the Netherlands, you can now add “plentiful Internet” to the list of reasons why you should go, right next to beautiful architecture, friendly people, delicious food, wooden shoes, etc., etc.