Slashdot Mirror
Broadband Rights & the Killer App of 1900
newscloud writes "Tech writer Glenn Fleishman compares the arguments against affordable, high speed, broadband Internet access in each home to arguments made against providing for common access to electricity in 1900 e.g. '...electric light is not a necessity for every member of the community. It is not the business of any one to see that I use electricity, or gas, or oil in my house, or even that I use any form of artificial light at all.' Says Fleishman, 'Electricity should go to people who had money, not hooked up willy-nilly to everyone ... Like electricity, the notion of whether broadband is an inherent right and necessity of every citizen is up for grabs in the US. Sweden and Finland have already answered the question: It's a birthright.'"
Of course broadband should be owned/operated by the government. And electricity, along with other sources of energy like oil and natural gas. Without question health care should be owned and run by the government. Food production too, we need to nationalize all farms and agribusiness companies immediately. Other natural resources like forests and minerals obviously belong to The People so the government should take them over. And you can't trust things as important as banking, insurance, journalism, or manufacturing to private industry. Did I forget anything? Oh yea, porn, the government also has to provide that according to our needs.
If not everyone can profit, it might be socialism!
If not everyone can profit, wouldn't it be capitalism?