Finns declare access to broadband a basic right

... says BBC News:

From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection...

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.

Hear, hear.
Although it bears mentioning that 96% of Finnish households are already wired.

Still, it's nice that the final 4% will get a boost up. The internet has become far more than the sum of its funny cats and gambling sites. You can accomplish a wide variety of social and civic functions online, from renewing your library books to checking in with the unemployment office to finding health information. It was always this way, of course, but now even more so as governments and organizations realize the long-term cost savings an online presence can provide them. (Not all, but many). Between direct deposit and online banking, I hardly step foot in a bank anymore. I renewed my motorcycle registration online. I think in both instances everyone was happier in the end.

And public wireless in the US, purported to be a public/private partnership of sorts, has ground to a virtual halt during the recession. The 2009 Broadband Bill has, as this article says, something to disappoint everyone. Sigh.