Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen. From July 1 every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection, says a BBC report.
Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015. In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but has stopped short of enshrining this as a right in law. The Finnish deal means that from July 1 all telecommunications companies will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1Mbps speed.
The details: [Link]
Speaking to the BBC, Finland's communication minister Suvi Linden explained the thinking behind the legislation: "We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life. Internet services are no longer just for entertainment.
"Finland has worked hard to develop an information society and a couple of years ago we realised not everyone had access," she said.
It is believed up to 96 per cent of the population are already online and that only about 4,000 homes still need connecting to comply with the law.
Both the UK and France have said they may cut off or limit the internet connections of people who persistently download music or films for free. The Finnish government has adopted a more gentle approach.
"We will have a policy where operators will send letters to illegal file-sharers but we are not planning on cutting off access," said Ms Linden.
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.
