Finland Declares Broadband Net Access a "Legal Right"

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Finland Declares Broadband Net Access a "Legal Right"


Finland has become the first nation in the world to declare broadband internet access a legal right.

Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communication has declared that one-megabit net access is a "legal right," according to a report by yle.fi [http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/1mb_broadband_access_becomes_legal_right_1080940.html]. While other nations, including France and Greece, have previously declared "internet access" a human right, Finland is reportedly the first to specify broadband.

And that's just the beginning: The guaranteed one-meg access is only an "intermediary step" toward making 100 megabit broadband access a legal right by the end of 2015, a decision the government reached last year.

The specifics of "access" remain a bit ill-defined, however; in a report on the decision to guarantee universal 100 Mb net access that was published last year, the Helsinki Times [http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/htimes/domestic-news/politics/3179.html] said "no household... would be farther than two kilometers from a connection capable of delivering broadband internet with a capacity of at least 100 megabits of data a second," with the exception of roughly 2000 residences "in far-flung corners of the country." Some variations in speed will also be allowed for connections based through mobile phone networks.

A one-megabit connection may not be super-fast by modern standards but for people currently stuck with dial-up access (and there are a lot of them out there, probably more than you think) access to any kind of functional broadband is an absolute Godsend. I'm not so sure how I feel about it being declared a legal right, however; I can't stop thinking that we should have more important things to worry about than getting a good ping in TF2 [http://www.teamfortress.com/].

Source: CNET [http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10374831-2.html]


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FallenRainbows

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Feb 22, 2009
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A legal right... *facepalm* wait... a HUMAN right? You compare life essentials to INTERNET?

*WoW joke here*

I mean cooooommmmee oooooonnn
 

thenumberthirteen

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Dec 19, 2007
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I'm glad that governments are starting to see the importance of the internet in society. Now come on UK. I want 100mbps!
 

bodyklok

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Feb 17, 2008
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As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
 

The Kangaroo

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Feb 24, 2009
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bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
You're kidding me right?
THEY'RE NOT TAKING IT FAR ENOUGH!
 

bodyklok

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Feb 17, 2008
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Eoin Livingston said:
bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
You're kidding me right?
THEY'RE NOT TAKING IT FAR ENOUGH!
...?
How much further can you take this anyway?
[HEADING=3]Finland declares depriving citizens of their internet punishable by death!
Finland declares it a War Crime to not allow captured soldiers access to Youtube![/HEADING]

...?
 

The Kangaroo

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Feb 24, 2009
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bodyklok said:
Eoin Livingston said:
bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
You're kidding me right?
THEY'RE NOT TAKING IT FAR ENOUGH!
...?
How much further can you take this anyway?
[HEADING=3]Finland declares depriving citizens of their internet punishable by death!
Finland declares it a War Crime to not allow captured soldiers access to Youtube![/HEADING]

...?
Well yeah is that not how it is here?
 

Amnestic

High Priest of Haruhi
Aug 22, 2008
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Go Finland! Now to just convince the idiots in Parliament to follow suit.

Maybe if I don't start off every letter with "Dear Idiots,"

bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
How so?
 

Abedeus

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Sep 14, 2008
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bodyklok said:
Eoin Livingston said:
bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
You're kidding me right?
THEY'RE NOT TAKING IT FAR ENOUGH!
...?
How much further can you take this anyway?
[HEADING=3]Finland declares depriving citizens of their internet punishable by death!
Finland declares it a War Crime to not allow captured soldiers access to Youtube![/HEADING]

...?
No.

Citizens are FORCED to have internet access. And everyone without at least a broadband MUST emigrate the country. Or be sentenced to 12 consecutive death penalties.
 

Rhayn

Free of All Weakness
Jul 8, 2008
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This makes me slightly less proud to be a finn.

Not that it suprises me in the slightest. Our politicians keep mixing up what actually is important, like say how to keep the various companies from moving their shit to China, with stupid, unecessary stuff like this.

Then they laud it as the best thing ever.

Personally, I can't wait until Nokia packs their shit up and leaves. Then we'll see how they'll even finance this.
 

DJPirtu

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Nov 24, 2008
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Seriously, I'm not very surprised by this, given how much of our servises have been moving from reasonable physical accessability to online activity.
The other alternative would have been to require eccential (like banks and such) businesses to keep their services physicly available in all areas, no matter how remote.
I doubt very meny people were protesting the internet access as legal right, but I think you can imagine who all might have been very vocal against the alternative.

PS. You know what the funny thing is? I'm hearing about this first at here.
 
Feb 18, 2009
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Since for the most part public services are nowadays to be accessed via internet (and public services being essential to modern life), I find it reasonable to declare net access generally a legal right. But a broadband net access? What will we they come up with next.

Eoin Livingston said:
bodyklok said:
As much as I'm inclined to like this, I can't help but feel Finland's taking it to the extreme...
You're kidding me right?
THEY'RE NOT TAKING IT FAR ENOUGH!
We´re on it! Just wait and see *rolls up sleeves*
 

Arkhangelsk

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Mar 1, 2009
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Even though this seems perfectly sweet, something tells me that this is another step towards communism. Where will they get the money? Taxes!