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Finland makes broadband Internet access a right. 3 Cheers
This is change I can believe in.
Finland is the first country to recognize that this thing many of us take for granted, is no longer a luxury. It is required in order to live in our new connected society. Here's to Finland.
In Finland, the static noise of a dial-up modem and the stress of a slow Web connection soon will be relics of the past. Beginning in July, every person in the country will have the legal right to an Internet connection of at least 1 megabit per second.
It's the first country in the world to make broadband Internet access a legal requirement. Communications Minister Suvi Linden tells Weekend Edition host Liane Hansen it's part of Finland's effort to develop an information society.
"We decided that broadband connections are no longer this kind of luxury product and just for entertainment," she says. As online banking and other Internet services become widespread, Linden says speedy access for all of Finland's 5 million people is a necessity.
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Considering how much can be done on the internet these days I say Finland has a great idea making speedy access a legal right!
Why should people suffer waiting...waiting..waiting... I know it drives me nuts if I can't connect quickly to the internet!
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...and wait...and wait... for a connection with dialup. Now it's cable and I'm a lot happier.
I absolutely agree everyone should be able to access the internet. It's too vital to our economy and our lives now. With e-bills I don't have bills coming in the mail and I can see everything on the online banking screen and nothing gets misplaced.
And honestly, if we can give internet to the homeless - along with access to food and drink and shelter, I say go for it. With the increase in homeless people who have lost their homes, jobs, etc., and are living in tents it'll give them access to job search sites, unemployment agencies, and various government agencies - and family if they have no other means available of keeping in touch. The internet is very much intertwined in much of our lives here in America, so much so, everyone should be able to access easily.
and how to ensure it. I wish we could apply the same straightforward approach to health care here in the U.S. Esp. the low-cost part.
Public kiosks would be great. My local library has several Internet-connected pcs available. When the economy swandived last year, a lot of local libraries (not mine, fortunately for me) closed or severely reduced their hours or staffing. Aside from the horrible fact that, of course, access to books was cut off, it also reduced access to the internet.