said by FastiBook :

I disagree. I think not having true broadband is limiting how much one can accomplish. I can see some folks not wanting it, but it should be available to everyone if they choose to use it. Imagine how much fuel could be saved if people could work from home a few weeks a year, or during severe weather when folks are stuck.... It shouldn't just be the rich who benefit from technology, but everyone.

said by ender7074 :

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.

said by thevorpal :

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.

said by pbarrow :

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.