Internet now ‘basic right’ for Finns

Finland has become the first nation in the world to make access to broadband Internet a “basic right” of its citizens. Regulations came into effect requiring Finland’s 26 telecom operators to provide “every permanent residence and office building” in the country with access to an Internet connection with a downstream rate of at least 1 Megabit per second (Mbit/s).

“A reasonably priced and high-quality broadband connection will be everyone’s basic right,” Finnish Communications Minister Suvi Linden said in a statement. More…