U.N. report: U.S. behind in phone, Internet tech

United States slips six places, leapfrogged by Japan, Germany, New Zealand

GENEVA - The United States is falling behind other advanced economies in its use of and access to telephone and Internet technology, according to a U.N. report published Monday.

The U.S. slipped six places to 17th on the U.N. telecommunications agency's ICT Development Index. It was leapfrogged by countries such as Japan (12), Germany (13) and New Zealand (16).

By 2007, more than 8 in 10 Americans had cell phones accounts compared with just under half the population in 2002, the International Telecommunication Union said in its report.