High Tech Finland

Northern New England struggles to provide internet service to its residents. Fairpoint purchased Verizon and agreed to maintain the landlines and also provide internet access to 75% of its customers. This is proving hard to accomplish: http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/NEWS01/910060359

Meanwhile, in Finland, access to broadband has been made a legal right. http://yle.fi/uutiset/news/2009/10/1mb_broadband_access_becomes_legal_right_1080940.html?origin=rss

YLE, the Finnish radio station, reports that,

"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 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. On Wednesday, the Ministry announced the new goal as an intermediary step.

Some variation will be allowed, if connectivity can be arranged through mobile phone networks."