( CNN ) -- Finland has become the first country in the world to declare broadband Internet access a legal right . The move by Finland is aimed at bringing Web access to rural areas , where access has been limited . Starting in July , telecommunication companies in the northern European nation will be required to provide all 5.2 million citizens with Internet connection that runs at speeds of at least 1 megabit per second . The one-megabit mandate , however , is simply an intermediary step , said Laura Vilkkonen , the legislative counselor for the Ministry of Transport and Communications . The country is aiming for speeds that are 100 times faster -- 100 megabit per second -- for all by 2015 . `` We think it 's something you can not live without in modern society . Like banking services or water or electricity , you need Internet connection , '' Vilkkonen said . Finland is one of the most wired in the world ; about 95 percent of the population have some sort of Internet access , she said . But the law is designed to bring the Web to rural areas , where geographic challenges have limited access until now . `` Universal service is every citizen 's subjective right , '' Vilkkonen said . Should fast Internet access be everyone 's legal right ? It is a view shared by the United Nations , which is making a big push to deem Internet access a human right . In June , France 's highest court declared such access a human right . But Finland goes a step further by legally mandating speed . On the other hand , the United States is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high-speed broadband , according to a study released in August by the Communications Workers of America , the country 's largest media union . Forty-six percent of rural households do not subscribe to broadband , and usage varies based on income , the study found . In February , the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to submit a national plan to Congress . The FCC says that expanding service will require subsidies and investment of as much as $ 350 billion -- much higher than the $ 7.2 billion President Barack Obama 's economic stimulus package has set aside for the task .
Providers will need to supply connection speeds of at least 1 bit per second . But Finland is aiming for connections that are 100 % faster . 95 % of Finnish households have some sort of Internet connection . The law is designed to bring the Web to rural areas .