Technology Liberation Front blogger Adam Thierer made a solid point regarding Finland’s decision to make broadband access a fundamental right for it’s citizens: it’s absurd.

He demonstrated the absurdity by being absurd, a practice I myself try to engage in whenever possible:

Hey people. You owe me.  All of you.  You owe me free broadband.  I am entitled to it, after all. That seems to be where our current FCC is heading, anyway.  And hey,Finland’s just done it, and the supposed Silicon Valley capitalists at TechCrunch are giddy with delight about it.

I too have decided to throw in the towel on the idea of everyone carrying their own weight and picking up their own tab.  So, get your wallets open and ready for me because I have lots and lots of things that I believe I have an inalienable right to receive free of charge from the government (i.e, “the people”;  i.e., “YOU”).

– free broadband (fiber, Wi-Max, and whatever else is around the corner);

– a couple of free new computers (and a really fast ones, thank you very much);

– 3 new HDTVs for my home (including one of those sweet new DLP projectors that usually cost about $10,000 bucks.  And I’ll need you to pay for someone to help me install it. Or could you just come over and do that for me perhaps?);

– 3 free new DVRs for each new TV set that you are buying me (and could I get a nice universal remote to control everything, please);

– free new wi-fi router and signal extenders for my home (N-standard please, none of that B or G garbage… too slow for me);

– free mobile phone service for life + an iPhone + unlimited downloads in their app store (oh, could you have that iPhone autographed by Steve Jobs if you get a chance?);

– free Playstation or XBox + lots of games (and if I could get one of those driving wheels to play my new Gran Turismo game that would be dandy); and finally,

– free lifetime tech support when all this crap breaks down.

He goes on, but I think you get the point.

Look, I’m all about us coming up with an either economically viable free public network to be a part of or even a government sponsored one, but let’s attempt to get our priorities straight, first.

The Finnish Constitution and bill of rights doesn’t provide it’s citizens the basic right of always having food to eat, or a shelter to sleep under, or even air to breathe (I suppose that’s covered under Section 20: Responsibility for the Environment). I know, I checked. Somehow, though, broadband has crept up the list on their bill of rights right there next to the right to freedom of religion.

I’m not Finnish, and if the Finns want to try this, I don’t begrudge them that.  The unanimous cheers from the tech crowd should be drawn back a bit. Broadband access isn’t a right, it’s a privilege (just as driving a car is a privilege). Just because you need something for informational, economic or entertainment reasons doesn’t make it a fundamental right.