Finland Mandates Universal Broadband Access

Starting this month, every citizen of Finland will have access to a 1 Megabit-per-second (Mbps) broadband connection.

Finland is the first country that legally guarantees universal broadband Internet. By the end of 2015, all Finns will be entitled to a swift 100 Mbps broadband connection.

According to Laura Vilkkonen, the legislative counselor for Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications:

"We think its something you cannot live without in modern society. Like banking services or water or electricity, you need Internet connection."

According to December 2009 OECD broadband data, Finland — at fourteenth — was ranked one spot ahead of the United States for the metric "Fixed broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants."

While the average Internet download speed in the U.S. in 2009 was 5.1 Mbps and the average upload speed was 1.1 Mbps, there remains a gaping digital divide that leaves millions of Americans without access to high-speed Internet.

To read Speed Matter's issue page on the benefits of closing the digital divide, click here.

High-speed Internet now a right... in Finland

OECD Broadband Portal

Benefits - Bridging the Digital Divide