Is Broadband a Utility? A Right? A Luxury? → Luxury/Utility

Even though I am thankful for my highspeed connection. I still believe it is a luxury. Because not everyone can afford it. And some even are on dial-up. But this single luxury/utility can be useful in many ways. It opens up markets, business, commerce, and information. But no, this isn't a right at all. There are some business people who don't even have a computer in America.

I agree with l33t.

There are still many people on dialup which can't afford broadband.

To me it's worth every penny! :P

Well I think that by making it a Right and a Utility... It should help make (true) broadband cheaper and will jump-start an even bigger/faster deployment to reach all over America.

I don't know how it is in the States... but up here in Canada, broadband could sure use some Government intervention as some of the Cableco's and Telco's tend to cross the line too often on their service agreements (EULA) and in the level of customer service/general service or lack there of that they offer.

It definately is a utility, I mean come on! In many countries in the world utilities are only in rich areas, just because some people cannot afford a computer to get on the internet or to pay for the internet does not mean its a luxury.

That's why I have Luxury/Utility because some people don't need broadband as a utility. Like an example farmers.

yes it is a luxury.

Actually many farmers use, need, want broadband in order to have information necessary for them to survive.
Weather and market for example.

Dial-up?

Do you eat?
Farming is competitive industry, for them to survive and keep prices that the rest of us can pay, they need access too.

»www.google.com/search?so ··· roadband
a little info

Yes, there is dial-up, but what some people seem to forget is that many many websites are geared towards broadband connections. It's taking longer and longer to browse the internet with a dial-up connection and forget about trying to access college databases. Trying to do English 1010 essays last year was real fun. Had deadlines for drafts and on several occasions I had to ask the professor for extensions because I was unable to hit the databases I was restricted to. Dial-up will be around for a while, but the market is acting like it's been gone for a few years.

My family is one of Northern California's largest farming families. For years we have done without the internet and to this day still do.

Weather reports? The morning news paper and the 5 o'clock news still works just fine. Market? I can see that being a good example, however, there are still trade news media that still serves this purpose. For my family, most of the crop is already sold before it's planted.

The need for instant access to information for many farmers is still not that important. I am not saying that it can help farmers and I am sure some farmers have certain reasons for internet access, but I still don't think farming will stop without broadband access.

That's why I said they could use dial-up, they don't really need it. That's why I said it was a Luxury/Utility.