[AusNOG] Labor to force people to connect to broadband

[Robert Brockway]

On Fri, 30 Jul 2010, Sean K. Finn wrote:

>> I disagree.  It's important that everyone has quality Internet access.
>
> I Agree that it's very very important.
> I don't agree that it's a basic human right however.

Hi Sean.  Human rights[1] are those rights that we humans collectively 
define them to be.  Indeed the concept itself isn't very old.

Internet access is not a human right.  It is a 'right' in Finland though.

I predict that within 20 years (probably much less) basic Internet access 
will become a right in all developed nations.  Ie if you can't pay for it 
you'll file a form with the government and they will pay a Telco to 
deliver basic access to you.

Personally I think it should be a right as the ongoing integration of 
networking in to our daily lives means that lack of access to the network 
will increasingly be an impedement to participation in society.

One day I think access to the network will be a human right (ie, globally) 
but there's a lot of social development to happen before we can even 
consider that.

[1] Wikipedia uses the following definition which matches my 
understanding:

'Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled."'

Cheers,

Rob

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