

Broadband Internet to Become Legal Right in Finland in 2010 - dkasper
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/14/finland-broadband-access_n_320481.html

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cromulent
Another new law in Finland is that all new dwellings must have a bathroom that
is suitably sized for the disabled (wheelchair friendly).

As seriously disabled people are reimbursed for alterations to their home (eg
ramps, kitchen and bathroom alterations, lifts, etc) there is a massive
expense to the country. As the population is aging, they have decided to make
sure that all new dwellings are prepared for these modifications. Not such a
big deal for a large house, but certainly so for a tiny apartment (which are
common).

The overall aim is that all inhabitants should have the services they need,
regardless of their financial or social status.

Broadband is just one of those things. Mind you, I can only get 256kbps at the
summer cottage due to the distance from the exchange.

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chasingsparks
It's tough to comment on an article whose entire content is composed of 81
words. What exactly do they mean by "right"? If you don't want to pay for it,
do you get it because it is a "right"? Did anyone find an expounded (hopefully
primary) source?

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electromagnetic
This is a great idea, ensuring everyone has fair and unrestricted access to at
least a 1Mb connection (on the download side) is a great idea. Not only will
it force companies to improve infrastructure, but it will force down prices on
higher speed, higher limit connections (people are going to be asking, why
should I pay $30 for your 10Mb connection with 60Gb limit, when I pay $0 for a
1Mb unlimited connection).

I wish this would come into play in Canada, especially for people in rural
areas. People should have access to the internet, just like they have access
to telephones, without prejudice to where they live.

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docmach
How is forcing companies to give services away for free a good idea? What if
most people decide that 1Mb is good enough and don't pay for anything? It
seems like this is bad for the people who are willing to pay.

Where people live has a huge impact on the cost of providing internet service
to them, so why shouldn't it matter where they live?

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smhinsey
This doesn't provide anything for free, it sets a floor on the minimum speed
an ISP can offer.

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te_platt
It looks like we need some new words to differentiate what different people
mean by a right. Something for an independent right and something different
for an dependent right. Dependent meaning it relies on the effort of someone
else.

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stse
Seems natural as the Internet will become the primary communications network,
replacing both the telephone and television networks.

