Internet backbone and net neutrality --- Deploying submarine fiber is very expensive (especially laying them down on the ocean's bottom), and this is the reason why we still don't have many redundant links (especially in developing world). Take a look at the PLCN cable example (in the box below) - it took years to complete, and some of the major players like Google and Facebook are involved in the consortium.

Congestion is not the main issue when it comes to intercontinental traffic in regular times: investments are in fact following the needs for the bandwidth. The reason why cables are dominantly leading to the US is not only historical, but also economic: most cloud services and digital industry is there - and provided to the world from there. Of course, developing countries do cope with low bandwidth - though situation is slowly improving (observe the new fibres around Africa, for instance).

Net neutrality issue - making sure that all traffic is treated equally, and not according to who pays more to reach to customers - remains a critical issue on the 'last mile' level, when telecoms and ISPs need to invest in the access to remote users, or reduce congestion in populated areas. It is indeed for another discussion :) But is an important issue nevertheless. Diplo covers it within our "Introduction to Internet governance" online course.

Source author: Vladimir Radunovic vladar@diplomacy.edu