As a provider of on-demand technology, availability and speed of internet access is clearly a matter close to our hearts and it is an undeniable fact of life these days that countries jockeying for position in the economic growth stakes can make clear comparisons between broadband penetration and commercial impetus. 

Underlining this fact, a recent report from news agency Reuters tells that the European commission wants broadband penetration within the EU to reach 30% by 2010 in order to drive economic growth. Viviane Reding, information society commissioner at the EU, remarked that only 8 of the 27 EU member countries are currently in competition with the US in terms of broadband penetration rates, with Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands leading the charge. 

Despite the fact that the UK, Belgium, Luxembourg and France also have a higher broadband penetration ratios than the US, penetration for the EU as a whole stands at just 20%, compared to the 22.1% rate set by America. 

In what is now truly an internet economy, failure to drive the commercial highway that broadband represents could do more damage than any number of over-zealous bankers and hegders.