Finland first country to make broadband a 'legal right'

[Kari]

My beloved and greatly missed native Finland made me proud today, making broadband internet connection part of what we call Citizen's Rights, meaning from today every Finn is guaranteed to have a broadband connection.

Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'

Finland argues that net access is a fundamental right.

Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen.

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.

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 1 July all telecommunications companies will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1Mbps speed.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10461048.stm

 

[Grimmjow]

Nicely done Finland.

 

[noobvious]

Well done Finland!
May many others follow.

 

[Kari]

Continuing the discussion (Today thread) here.

A right? That's oddly worded.

I mean I don't think any civilized country /forbids/ broadband connectivity (yet). It's pretty much a "right" as it is. Anyone can buy it if they want.

Same with power, phone, water, sewer etc... None of those are free (Except for special circumstances), but everyone has a "right" to get them if they want.

And though cable/fiber may not go to every home, satellite is an option nearly everywhere already.

By calling it a legal right the legislators mean ISP's are obliged to provide a broadband connection to every home, making it a fundamental right. IMO this is very important law.

For instance if your house is in the middle of nowhere, the cost to get a line to you can be so high that no normal worker can afford to pay it. From today, the ISP has an obligation to build the line, and offer broadband to you at the same cost than other customers pay. Country is divided to regions, and every region has one ISP appointed by the state who has this obligation.

Also, making a broadband connection a fundamental right the legislators are controlling the price. No citizen should pay more than €30 a month from a 1 Mbps line, or €40 from a faster line, however expensive it was for ISP to get the line to you.

I'm sorry Fseal but I completely miss your point. IMO this is fabulous! Finally the legislators have stated that an internet connection belongs to citizens fundamental rights.

Kari

No offense, but I don't like this idea at all. Broadband Internet access should not be considered a right, it's a privilege. I also don't like the idea of government controlling broadband prices, it causes too many problems (as proven by history). Half of Finland's ISPs are probably going to go out of business building expensive lines without charging enough money to pay for them.

I hope our legislators don't try to do something like this.

Last week I read about a couple back home in Finland, living in northern region of Lapland. To get phone and internet, ISP should build over 80 kilometers (some 50 miles) new line. Of course ISP has until now refused, but in the near future this couple gets the line, thanks for the new legislation. Cost is calculated to be about €80,000 (about $100,000), €1K per kilometer.

Are you saying these people should blame themselves to be so stupid to live there, in the house where the husband was born? You find it negative that because phone and internet are now considered a fundamental right, they now get the line?

 

[BCXtreme]

Continuing the discussion (Today thread) here.

By calling it a legal right the legislators mean ISP's are obliged to provide a broadband connection to every home, making it a fundamental right. IMO this is very important law.

For instance if your house is in the middle of nowhere, the cost to get a line to you can be so high that no normal worker can afford to pay it. From today, the ISP has an obligation to build the line, and offer broadband to you at the same cost than other customers pay. Country is divided to regions, and every region has one ISP appointed by the state who has this obligation.

Also, making a broadband connection a fundamental right the legislators are controlling the price. No citizen should pay more than €30 a month from a 1 Mbps line, or €40 from a faster line, however expensive it was for ISP to get the line to you.

I'm sorry Fseal but I completely miss your point. IMO this is fabulous! Finally the legislators have stated that an internet connection belongs to citizens fundamental rights.

Kari

No offense, but I don't like this idea at all. Broadband Internet access should not be considered a right, it's a privilege. I also don't like the idea of government controlling broadband prices, it causes too many problems (as proven by history). Half of Finland's ISPs are probably going to go out of business building expensive lines without charging enough money to pay for them.

I hope our legislators don't try to do something like this.

Last week I read about a couple back home in Finland, living in northern region of Lapland. To get phone and internet, ISP should build over 80 kilometers (some 50 miles) new line. Of course ISP has until now refused, but in the near future this couple gets the line, thanks for the new legislation. Cost is calculated to be about €80,000 (about $100,000), €1K per kilometer.

Are you saying these people should blame themselves to be so stupid to live there, in the house where the husband was born? You find it negative that because phone and internet are now considered a fundamental right, they now get the line?

No, but there are several factors you are not considering. One is that I cannot imagine that couple is the only one living anywhere near that location. Another is, where exactly do you think that $100k is going to come from?

Whenever the government gives themselves the right to regulate prices, the pattern typically goes like this:

Price controls >> harder for industry to make a profit >> lay-offs, decrease in wages/benefits, bankruptcy OR taxpayer-funded bailout. This is EXACTLY what happened in the U.S. recently. Forcing ISPs to build $100k lines for areas from which they can never hope to make up the money, is just going to accelerate this process.

In the U.S., Internet prices hardly change at all based on location. Service comes to a given town when an ISP thinks there is enough demand in a given area to offset the cost of building the infrastructure.

My country has already lost her real estate market due to the government using the kind of logic Finland is employing in this legislation.

I am also concerned that far too many commodities are being labeled as "rights." We lost our housing market over here because our government decided that every human has a fundamental right to own a house, even if they can't pay for it. We're about to lose our healthcare system because the gov't has decided that people have a right to demand elective medical procedures without payment. It's a slippery slope.

(If any moderators or admins think I get too political at any time, please tell me and I'll tone it down.)

 

[Kari]

That couple I mentioned lives over 80 kilometers, 50 miles, from "next door neighbors", literally in the middle of nowhere. According to the new legislation, the ISP is building the line and organizing the service at no higher cost than other customers of that ISP are paying.

The building of the line is paid by the government, which took the responsibility with this legislation. ISP has no extra cost, so they no longer have a valid reason to deny the service. Finland is a country with small population (5.3 million) but a big area, there still exist about 4,000 households considered to be too far to build a phone / broadband line (over 10 kilometers, 6.2 miles from existing line).

 

[NoN]

Tough talk around here, tough time we all have, tough time we will have next, tough time is the price to pay to be all stuffed! I'm still amaze being from this world and pretty happy of new technology that are coming. I don't wanna die without a substitute of it.
Somebody has got a better job for me, please... They do call me a Citizen!

 

[xarden]

Good on ya Finland, you're still in the top 3 places in the world I'd like to visit.

 

[HammerHead]

Socialism At Its Finest

Great another giveaway to the masses. They can always pay for it with HIGHER TAXES.

 

[BCXtreme]

Great another giveaway to the masses. They can always pay for it with HIGHER TAXES.

My point exactly.

 

[johnwillyums]

You really strive to live up to your name BCXtreme

 

[mickey megabyte]

i wish more governments spent money on broadband infrastructure, rather than spend it on bombs.

but maybe i'm politically naive...

 

[BCXtreme]

You really strive to live up to your name BCXtreme

I'm not sure I get that...

Yeah, I have a very limited view of what government should be allowed to do. I am against any kind of "social welfare" using taxpayer money. But then, so were the people that founded my country. It's like wallyinnc said in the original discussion in the Today topic ... America is more geared toward free enterprise and limited government, Europe is more geared toward a social welfare state. There are unfortunately some people over here right now (no names) that are intent on having America follow in Europe's footsteps on this matter, and I believe that goes against everything my country has stood for for over 200 years.

I don't know about everyone else, but I for one am not willing to sit back and let every aspect of my life become totally dependent on the government.

 

[HammerHead]

Norm or Extreme

Hang in there BCX you are not alone. Each government entitlement is a chink out of your freedom. Then when the government can not fulfill its promised Utopia, you find yourself in a situation akin to what Greece is currently going through.

 

[Joan Archer]

Please don't turn this into a political debate, remember the rules of the forum.

 

[osamahco]

Bravoooooooo Finland ....

 

[Topi]

Good evening, and greetings from Finland This is a great thread to make my first post to this forum!

I personally think this is great! But I think there will be problems, because broadband operators don't want to give anything without profit.

Let's take an example. Sonera's prices are huge!
Connection over mobile technology:
1.Ordering costs 122,88€
2.Monthly fee(includes 3GB data for ONE month) 49,90€
3.If you use over 3GB in one month after that it costs 9,90€ per 1GB
4.Equipment: Huawei 160B and antenna 300€

and that is all without any installation, so you have to install them by yourself.

But this is great thing and I think other countries should follow our example

 

[Kari]

Moi Topi, Tervetuloa Seiska Foorumille.

Sori mutta mä en ymmärrä mistä sä olet tuollaiset hinnat löytänyt. Mulla on Suomen reissuja varten tämä paketti:



Sisältää Huawei 3G modeemin ja antennin ja rajattoman tiedonsiirron, liittymis- ja tilauskustannukset tasan 0 euroa. Kuukausihinta €16.90. Se on niin halpa että maksan siitä mielelläni vaikken viimeaikoina ole Suomessa kovin usein käynyt.

(https://kauppa.sonera.fi/yksityisil...spx?intcmp=Mob-Reilumpinettitikku-Etusivu-iso)



Hi Topi, welcome to the Seven Forums.

I do not know where you found that kind of prices. I have for my Finland trips the packet you described, from the ISP you mentioned, only difference being that I have no DL /UL limits. Monthly cost €16.90, no opening / ordering fees, Huawei 3G modem plus antenna included.

It's so cheap I'm happily paying for it even lately I've not been in Finland so often.

Kari

 

[Topi]

Kiitos Kari! Hyvä löytö tämä foorumi.

Hinnat ovat alueille joille ei ole laajakaistapalveluja muuten saatavilla.

Sonera

Luonnollisesti matkailijan tai muuten laajakaista alueella asuvalle tuollaisia kustannuksia ei tule vaan kyseessä on paikat jonne kaapelia ei ole vedetty.

Kerrothan minulle jos olen tuon ymmärtänyt väärin. (lievä lukihäiriö)



Thanks Kari! This forum is a great find!

The prices are for areas that don't have any cabling that would give the possibility to get the regular DSL.

Tell me if I have misunderstood that. ( I have light dyslexia )

 

[Kari]

OK, mä tarkistin ton sun linkkisi ja ja näyttää että olit sittenkin oikeassa, nuo hinnat on siis niille aluille joilla ei muuten ole laajakaistayhteyttä tarjolla.

Tämä uusi laki tulee muuttamaan nuo hinnat kohtuullisimmiksi, juuri sehän on tuon lain tarkoitus.




OK, I checked the link you provided and it seems you were right. Those prices have been valid in areas where there has been no broadband service available.

The idea of this new law is to normalize those prices, you are not supposed to pay more because you live far from services.

Kari