This is an interesting story posted by Broadband DSLReports.com about an FCC meeting from last year.

“No matter who you are, or where you live, or how much money you make… you will need, and you are entitled to have these tools (broadband) available to you, I think, as a civil right,” said FCC commissioner Michael Copps during yesterday’s broadband hearing in Pittsburgh. Users around here enjoy fighting over whether broadband is a luxury or necessary utility, but suggesting it’s a civil right is a new wrinkle.

I knew I liked Michael Copps, and no only do I hope he stays on at the FCC, but am disappointed with Obama for not appointing him chairman of it. He poses a core question which, from the numerous comments posted by readers, seems to strike many as irrelevant or illegitimate (and may be a ‘new wrinkle’ to some as a concept, but is actually directly related to ongoing efforts in the global democratic communication movement to establish communication rights).

Some comments from readers strike closer to the heart of understanding regarding this primordially important issue….

As one reader commented, “Mankind has made 99.99999999% of its most important discoveries without broadband. Its not a right or a necessity but a luxury. If you can afford it great. If not and it’s important, then time to evaluate your financial situation.”

Mankind may have made 99% of the most imporant discoveries without broadband, but without communication 0% would have occured or mattered.

I believe that access to the primary methods of communication in any age is a fundamental right. From gestures and grunts, we moved to a spoken language. Then from a spoken language we invented cuneiform script. The alphabets followed and were followed by signaling techniques, then electromagnetic transmissions. Those EM signals are being improved through compression allowing even more data to be passed. At one time, letters were good enough for anyone, telephones were a luxury. Then, data service was a luxury for only the largest of companies and banks.

As you can see, the future technology is always the luxury, but the prevalent form of communication IS a necessity and access to it is a bona fide civil right.

The question shouldn’t be if broadband should be a right or not, but rather, is broadband internet access now the predominant form of communication? Once that answer is ‘yes’ then the idea that it is a right should be automatic.

If it is not the ’standard’ yet, it will be very very shortly.

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Re: “Civil Right? Not yet…” Nice reply!

Also consider the Middle Ages when the State and the Church tried to limit Books and The Bible to only the State and the Church thus keeping the people and peasants just that - people and peasants. The world didn’t begin to grow until everyone was being educated to
read and write. I suspect that you will find that in education today that the kids who do better are the one that have access to a computer and internet in the home.

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