Finland, which I realized I know absolutely nothing about, has become the first country to declare that high-speed broadband Internet access is a legal right, just like water or electricity. About 95 percent of Finland’s 5.2 million citizens already have some kind of Internet access, but telecom companies will soon be required to provide everyone with a connection of at least 1 Mbps.

Meanwhile, our country is the only industrialized nation without a national policy to promote high-speed broadband and many Americans in rural areas struggle to get online. About 57% of urban households, 60% of suburban households and only 38% of rural households subscribe to broadband. At this point, I can’t even comprehend how someone could survive in American without Internet access. Maybe those Nordic folk have the right idea.

—Alyssa