Internet access becomes legal right for all in highly wired Finland

Finland provides Internet access to all

HELSINKI — Finland has adopted a policy to provide Internet access as a legal right for all citizens in the sparsely populated country.

The minister of communications says that “a reasonably priced and high quality broadband connection will be everyone’s basic right” as of Thursday.

Suvi Linden says that 26 telecom operators, “defined as universal service providers, must be able to provide every permanent residence and business office” with access to a connection with a downstream rate of at least 1 megabit per second.

Communications officials say 99 percent of all households in the nation of 5.3 million already have broadband access of at least 1Mbps.