Many people consider having broadband access a privilege but if you live in Finland, it has become a legal right. Starting in July 2010 it will be a legal right for every person to have a broadband connection of at least 1Mb and by 2015 everyone will have access to a 100Mb connection.
While not the first country to make broadband a legal right -- that title goes to the Swiss-- it does show a growing trend of how integrated broadband technologies are into our lives.
Not much else is known about the new law that will make broadband a legal right. Such that, is it a crime to prohibit someone from accessing broadband or can you ban certain persons from broadband?
Regardless of what the legal right actually entails, it is notable that the government is actively trying to give every one of its citizens an equal opportunity to have broadband access in their homes. For reference the population of Finland is 5.24 million people while New York, New York was 8.3 million as of July 2007.