Is Broadband a Basic Right? Finland Says Yes!

In Finland, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said that as of July 1 the country's citizens have a basic right to broadband speeds of 1 Mbps and suggested that for operators who have to supply such a service a reasonable charge would be between 30 to 40 Euros ($36.70 and $48.90) per month.

Finland also has an ambitious goal of connecting every citizen to a 100 Mbps connection by 2015. So should the U.S. follow suit? The Finns may not have had quite the legislative jumble to deal with as the U.S. does, but Finland is the first country to declare that broadband is a basic right. For those that think the U.S. should as well, or even if the U.S. should implement a Broadband Bill of Rights, then the current debate over reclassifying broadband is the place to start.