Finland makes broadband Internet access a legal right
For whatever reason, no one ever says anything bad about the Nordic nations.
Well, actually, wait: “whatever reason” isn’t really “whatever” at all. Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are routinely on the cutting edge of business, technology and overall societal function, and – by the Failed States Index Scores’ numbers – almost always rank as the most stable countries on earth.
And it’s because of this that whenever one of these Euro-heavyweights makes a trailblazing move, the rest of the world needs to take notice. Today is one of those days.
Finland, the massive country of just 5.3 million people, has made headlines after announcing it’s made broadband Internet access a legal right for all its citizens.
It is, as you might imagine, the first country on earth to grant such legislation to its public body.
“From now on a reasonably priced broadband connection will be everyone’s basic right in Finland,” the country’s communications minister said in a statement. “This is absolutely one of the government’s most significant achievements.”
Finland’s new legislation steps in and forces the country’s telecom operators – something Canada, for all its efforts, hasn’t successfully been able to do – to provide this “reasonably priced” high-speed connection of at least one megabit per second to every permanent resident or office.
By the country’s estimates, reasonably priced means a fee of about $37-$47 per month for broadband access, according to CNN.com.
Of course, this is where the knock, if there is any, comes against Finland. The country is one of the more expensive nations to live in the world, and $50 a month for broadband access is hardly a price that makes Canadians jealous.
Still, government regulation for Finnish broadband prices may be a big deal, in that about 99 per cent of all households in the country currently have access to the service.
If the initiative goes as planned, the remaining 4,000 residences in Finland will soon be plugged in, meaning 100 per cent of Finnish homes could be locked, loaded and ready to surf.
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: jane | Jul 7, 2021 3:46:03 PM
Thought this was very interesting
Posted by: PappaBear | Jul 7, 2021 6:58:33 PM
I think this is great and I think Canada should do something along this line as well. I live in Canada, small town Saskatchewan, it cost me $250 for a satellite receiver for internet, $60 a month for service that at times is unreliable. We're getting hosed when you consider we're supposed to be a technically advanced nation and yet we pay some of the highest internet and cell phone fees in the world with inferior service.
Posted by: FertilAid for Women | Jul 11, 2021 9:25:23 PM
Internet access a legal right? Wow thats so great! So everyone can have internet access for free.. =) coz its legal right..the rights to have internet access..Am I right?or maybe wrong?