I would agree. It's a staggering contrast to the workload of ATCs here in Australia .
And Airservices claim that their ATCs can't give a class E service to low levels at Ballina without extra staffing
When your friend is flying en route away from a terminal area in the USA how does he know the correct ATC frequency to be on?
Remember the ATC sector boundaries are not marked on any charts in the USA or Canada.
Does he have paranormal powers?