Finland: Where Broadband Is a Right

[dsanchez]

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354349,00.asp

Finland: Where Broadband Is a Right

by Chloe Albanesius

High-speed Internet access for all? Head to Finland.

The country's Ministry of Transport and Communications has ordered telecom providers to be ready to provide "every residence and business office with access to a reasonably priced and high-quality connection," the AP reports.

Services must provide a minimum speed of 1 megabit per second, but the LA Times reports that the government plans to make access to super-fast 100-Mbps broadband access a legal right for Finland residents by the end of 2015.

The announcement accelerates Finland's broadband plan, which originally had a start date of December 2010. The ministry's plan still needs parliamentary approval.

France has made Internet access a human right, but Finland is apparently the first country to make it a legal right. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission is currently charged with delivering a nationwide broadband plan to Congress by February, 2010.

At the end of 2008, Finland had a population of approximately 5.3 million people, compared with 307 million in the U.S., and 64 million in France

[japanesebaby]

The country's Ministry of Transport and Communications has ordered telecom providers to be ready to provide "every residence and business office with access to a reasonably priced and high-quality connection," the AP reports.

just don't forget that "reasonably priced" is a relative thing. something reasonably priced here might be still high someplace else. we still need to pay for it, it's not free. i'm paying over 35 euros per month and i have a pretty slow connection compared to most people.