Finland Makes Broadband Internet Access A Law
Finland, already one of the world's most well-wired nations, just became the first country in the world to make broadband Internet access a legal right. The government has a new rule forcing Internet providers to offer a connection to all 5 million or so Finns by next July. The law apparently is aimed at improving access in remote rural areas.
Copyright © 2009 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And our last word in business today comes from Finland. It is: You have the right to surf the Web at high speeds.
Finland just became the first country in the world to make broadband Internet access a legal right. The government has a new rule forcing Internet providers to offer a one megabit connection to all five million or so Finns by next July. Finland is already one of the world's most wired nations, but the law is apparently aimed at improving access in remote, rural areas. And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
Copyright ©2009 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.