[kictanet] Finland makes fast broadband a legal right

[emko at internetresearch.com.gh]

Yeah,

Thats another way to kill the cat, this time cut the head off....

Good weekend.

Eric here


> I agree Eric, but it is important to note though, that the official
> press release instead talks of a universal service obligation that would
> be imposed similar to what has existed for telephony
> http://www.lvm.fi/web/en/pressreleases/view/920100
>
> best
> alice
>
>
>> Alice,
>>
>> Thats mild, if you may, they raised the game and set the stage for how
>> the
>> 21st century market place would be. They have taken the bull by more
>> than
>> the horn.
>>
>> Eric here
>>
>>
>>
>>> Linking  to the current discussion on Internet outage,
>>>
>>> I will use IDRC Outcome mapping lingua and say, what Finland is doing
>>> is
>>> an "I would Love to see" kind of scenario.
>>>
>>> best
>>> alice
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-broadband-a-legal-right.html
>>>
>>>
>>> Finland makes fast broadband a legal right
>>>
>>> The Finnish government has passed a law that entitles every person to a
>>> one megabit-per-second internet connection.
>>>
>>> By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor
>>> Published: 4:05PM BST 15 Oct 2009
>>>
>>> Even the citizens of remote, rural parts of Finland will be legally
>>> entitled to a minimum broadband connection speed of one megabit per
>>> second, rising to 100 megabits ber second by 2015. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
>>> Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications has committed to
>>> ensuring that every person in Finland can access the internet at a
>>> minimum speed of one megabit per second from July next year.
>>>
>>> The Finnish government had already committed to rolling out 100
>>> megabits
>>> per second broadband connections across the country by 2015. It's the
>>> first country in the world to make universal minimum internet access
>>> speeds a legal requirement.
>>>
>>> The government said the move was aimed at improving broadband provision
>>> in rural areas. Telecoms companies across Finland will have to start
>>> rolling out high-speed services to all locations. But the Finnish
>>> authorities have stressed that this is merely an "intermediary step"
>>> ahead of the roll-out of superfast broadband within the next five
>>> years.
>>>
>>> "We think [the internet is] something you cannot live without in modern
>>> society," said Laura Vikkonen, a spokesman for the ministry. "Like
>>> banking services or water or electricity, you need an internet
>>> connection.
>>>
>>> "Universal service is every citizen's subjective right."
>>>
>>> Finland, which has a population of around 5.2 million, is already one
>>> of
>>> the most connected countries in the world, with 95 per cent of citizens
>>> already hooked up to some form of internet connection.
>>>
>>> Although other countries, such as France, have declared the concept of
>>> guaranteed web access a "human right", Finland is the first nation to
>>> recognise this in law.
>>>
>>> The British government and internet stakeholders will be keeping a
>>> close
>>> eye on Finland's plans. In the recent Digital Britain report, the
>>> government set a target of universal internet access of speeds of at
>>> least two megabits per second by 2012.
>>>
>>> But it remains unclear whether this target will be achieved, as rural
>>> and remote areas may still have to rely on mobile or satellite
>>> broadband, rather than fixed-line internet connections, for their web
>>> access.
>>>
>>> The Prince of Wales has added his voice to the debate, calling on the
>>> government and internet service providers to stop the countryside
>>> becoming a "broadband desert".
>>>
>>> "Access to the internet is increasingly becoming a necessity," he wrote
>>> in The Daily Telegraph at the weekend. "The lack of access to high
>>> speed
>>> broadband is putting many of those who work in rural communities at a
>>> severe disadvantage."
>>>
>>> BT recently announced that it was doubling the roll-out of its own
>>> next-generation, high-speed 100 megabits per second broadband network,
>>> making it accessible to 2.5 British households by 2012. However, most
>>> of
>>> those homes are expected to be concentrated in urban areas.
>>>
>>> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/6337698/Finland-makes-fast-broadband-a-legal-right.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
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