PeaceJam | Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'

Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'

Posted 7/2/2010 at 10:26 AM by Bradlee A in Community Blog
Affiliate: PeaceJam HQ

Finland recently became the first country to make broadband access a legal right for every Fin.

BBC News wrote:
From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection.

Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015.

Later in the article a pole is cited as a strong argument for broadband access as a right:

BBC News wrote:
A poll conducted for the BBC World Service earlier this year found that almost four in five people around the world believed that access to the internet is a fundamental right.

To read the full article, click here.

PeaceJam would like to know what you think about Finland's new internet policy. Should access to the World Wide Web and all the information it holds be a legal right? Or should Finland use their resources to help those in this world whose basic needs are not being met?

For more information on PeaceJam's Global Call to Action issue Investing in Human Security, click here.

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Dawn E wrote:
wow -- that is pretty cool!
posted 7/2/2010 at 5:02 PM

Joshua H wrote:
Thats and awesome idea! Especially in a world where technology is always advancing, it is a huge disadvantage for people who do not have access to the internet and other technologies. For so many jobs, especially in the United States, you need to have a basic level of understanding of the internet and email. If you don't have those basic skills you are at a large disadvantage in the professional world. I think the U.S. should try to adopt a policy along these lines.
posted 7/2/2010 at 9:37 PM

Dawn E wrote:
I wonder how much it would cost to do this in the USA?
posted 7/5/2010 at 9:23 AM

Bradlee A wrote:

Joshua H wrote:
For so many jobs, especially in the United States, you need to have a basic level of understanding of the internet and email. If you don't have those basic skills you are at a large disadvantage in the professional world.

Great point, Josh. At first I was thinking that the resources spent on those who need to have their basic needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, etc) met. But for those in Finland, maybe this will help them generate the income needed to meet their own needs. Plus, maybe someone who now has access to the internet can do the research needed for an HIV/AIDS cure, or to design a new fuel that will eliminate our energy problems.

posted 7/14/2010 at 1:33 PM

Cassie D wrote:
Hyvä Suomi! Kiitos for setting the precedent. So many of my Spanish students could have benefited from access to the internet to better connect with the language. Along that line, just had this thought though: what good is having broadband as a legal right if one does not have the funds to pay for a computer?
posted 7/15/2010 at 9:00 AM

Jen C wrote:
Good question Cassie? Not sure how to respond, but good question. I like this idea because in the end I believe that equal access to knowledge is a necessary resource because it gives people the power to educate themselves, something that can be a life changing resource. However, I also understand that people need their basic needs met also. So while I think there is some conflict, i think that in the end it is the difference between band-aid work and work that addresses root causes and inequalities.
posted 7/26/2010 at 11:27 AM