Is Access to the internet a "human Right"?

[Danno 1,228]

Delivering Finland's web 'human right'

Last year Finland's government announced that access to a broadband internet connection was a human right, and that everyone in the country must have a connection with a minimum speed of one megabit by this summer.

Now the country's going even further - by 2015 every household must be within two kilometres of a fibre optic cable supplying superfast broadband running at 100 megabits per second.

Nick Higham went to Finland to discover how they plan to deliver that promise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8477572.stm

And why not?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I want reparations!!! I was denied acces to the internet until I was almost 40!!!!!!! Al Gore hadn't invented it yet! But it is MY RIGHT to have it!

[Ban Hammer 13,656]

if it's a right, do they have to pay for it?

[NickD 203]

Finland? Thought you were talking about China or even Venezuela where a ton of US sites are blocked by that Chavezed owned CanTV. Frequently still chat with my step son, but end up printing the screens and using hotmail, yahoo, or g-mail. For some reason he hasn't gotten around to blocking those yet. My e-mail server is blocked, get e-mails back faster than I can send them. CanTV besides being the only server also has the cable channels. He just blocked ten channels because when he scanned all the available channels, they weren't showing his face with his Hitler like speeches. He wants to see his face on all the channels.

Guess they don't have human rights in Venezuela nor China.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The goal is merely to make sure that the entire country's infrastructure moves ahead at the same rate.

Perhaps the US should make intercity bullet trains a human right

[Danno 1,228]

The goal is merely to make sure that the entire country's infrastructure moves ahead at the same rate.

Perhaps the US should make intercity bullet trains a human right

Having "Goals" is normal even useful, calling them a "Human Right" trivializes ...human rights.

We are laughing now but this type of thing, this type of thinking seems to only grow.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Having "Goals" is normal even useful, calling them a "Human Right" trivializes ...human rights.

I agree.

[FortLaudy 10]

Having "Goals" is normal even useful, calling them a "Human Right" trivializes ...human rights.

We are laughing now but this type of thing, this type of thinking seems to only grow.

Exactly! Some people even think having hot running water to fill up a nice bathtub to soak ones azz in or a flushing toilet is a human right. I disagree.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Having "Goals" is normal even useful, calling them a "Human Right" trivializes ...human rights.

We are laughing now but this type of thing, this type of thinking seems to only grow.

And does what?

I guess the question you need ask is whether people in first world countries, by virtue of what they are accustomed to, have more "human rights" than the guy who lives in a tin shack and counts himself lucky to get 2 square meals a day.

None of that changes a persons fundamental rights, but different countries place a priority on different things.

Perhaps it would be useful to seek opinions from Finns on what they think about this.

[Ban Hammer 13,656]

Exactly! Some people even think having hot running water to fill up a nice bathtub to soak ones azz in or a flushing toilet is a human right. I disagree.

i'll opt for a pepperoni and jalapena pizza as my right!

[Peikko 1,575]

Just laugh at the Finns and their wacky attitude to their citizens - that's way more fun!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I seem to remember a couple of people here have actually scoffed at the entire concept of human rights, because the UN Declaration isn't in itself, legally binding.

That being said, a good many countries use the UN framework to draft their human rights laws (its s yardstick more than anything), so it should be surprising that it incorporates other things than the "bare minimum" of food, water and free elections.

[Danno 1,228]

I seem to remember a couple of people here have actually scoffed at the entire concept of human rights, because the UN Declaration isn't in itself, legally binding.

That being said, a good many countries use the UN framework to draft their human rights laws (its s yardstick more than anything), so it should be surprising that it incorporates other things than the "bare minimum" of food, water and free elections.

The unavoidable risk thats being run is: When you make everything a "human Right" you endanger real Human rights because at some point a "revision" will be required and who knows what will be safe.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The unavoidable risk thats being run is: When you make everything a "human Right" you endanger real Human rights because at some point a "revision" will be required and who knows what will be safe.

If human rights are enshrined exclusively in the laws of the individual countries, albeit using the UN declaration as the basis (as they are), how do you define "real" human rights?

[Peikko 1,575]

Ones that come from reading the bible, silly. The UN is useless, only US Christians know what human rights are, and are not.