Finland becomes the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right.

Finland, a country I was fortunate to visit just last month (my thoughts), has just become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right.

According to YLE.fi, starting next July, every person in Finland will have the right to a one-megabit broadband connection, says the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Finland is reportedly the world’s first country to create laws guaranteeing broadband access. The government had already decided to make a 100 Mb broadband connection a legal right by the end of 2015.

Other European countries including Belgium and the UK are considering making broadband access available for all. The fast growth of technology has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect.

Current statistics suggest about 36% of households in EU member nations have high-speed net access. When a majority of EU citizens are using a telecoms service, EC law dictates that it becomes one every European should be able to enjoy.

Wonderful to see Europe be at the forefront of such regulation, lets hope other countries soon follow suit.