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Finland is the first country in the world to make broadband access a basic human right, ensuring that everyone in the country will get access to at least 1Mb/s connections. While the 1 Mb/s minimum does seem fairly standard (1 Mb/s => theoretical maximum of 125 KB/s download speed), it is an important step to recognize the importance the Internet is in everyday life, just as important as having water, electricity and a telephone connection.
The home of Nokia plans to also make 100Mb/s a basic legal right by 2015.
What will be interesting is how the three-strikes legislation will be affected if other countries adopt similar laws. France, already home to the three-strikes rules, has actually declared Internet access (not broadband access) to be a legal right as well, but the three-strikes seems to counter this by kicking people off the Internet and denying them this "basic human right".
By making broadband a basic human right, it might help to highlight the absurdity of the three-strikes law. Just imagine what kind of law you have to break before the government can deny you electricity, or running water or the use of a phone. Compare the seriousness of that crime (I'm not even sure the government has the right to cut off your access to electricity/water, although perhaps they do have the right to prevent you from using the phone), to that of downloading three MP3s, and you have to wonder is the punishment fitting of the crime?
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The home of Nokia plans to also make 100Mb/s a basic legal right by 2015.
What will be interesting is how the three-strikes legislation will be affected if other countries adopt similar laws. France, already home to the three-strikes rules, has actually declared Internet access (not broadband access) to be a legal right as well, but the three-strikes seems to counter this by kicking people off the Internet and denying them this "basic human right".
By making broadband a basic human right, it might help to highlight the absurdity of the three-strikes law. Just imagine what kind of law you have to break before the government can deny you electricity, or running water or the use of a phone. Compare the seriousness of that crime (I'm not even sure the government has the right to cut off your access to electricity/water, although perhaps they do have the right to prevent you from using the phone), to that of downloading three MP3s, and you have to wonder is the punishment fitting of the crime?
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