Finland has become the first country to declare broadband Internet is a basic human right.
Telcom companies in Finland will be required to provide all 5.3 million Finnish citizens with broadband Internet connection, starting next July.
(The European Union Parliament has on several occasions stated that access to the Internet is a basic human right.)
Laura Vilkkonen, legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said the plan is to provide all the citizens with even faster broadband speeds (100 Mbps) by 2015. “We think it’s something you cannot live without in modern society. Like banking services or water or electricity, you need Internet connection,” she said.
This, of course, begs the question of whether she thinks nobody should have to pay for water or electricity. And whether she thinks the isolated tribes of the Amazon Basin or New Guinea have a pressing need for Internet connectivity.
I love free Wifi as much as the next guy, but I also recognize that somebody has to pay for the bandwidth and the infrastructure. The idea that it’s a basic human right is ridiculous.
When it comes to basic human rights, the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness covers it pretty well.
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