To think access to the Internet should be free?

[PassingStranger]

Why do we have to pay something that we all need to use now.
Should Internet be free?

Does anyone remember in it's infancy you paid a subscription and for dealing up too. It might have been so much a minute?

It's such a big part of our life now. Even benefits have to be claimed online?

Who would pay for it though?

The NHS, police & other public services are not 'free' they are tax payer funded. Would you want NHS & police services cut in order to fund 'free' internet?

And clothes? Food? You could say that about anything really!

Doesn't that already exist? It certainly does around here.

There was a TV programme too about visitors from Papua New Guinea. I believe the only thing they asked to have from the Western World was for 2 of their tribe to be trained as doctors. They said their food, water & land was free

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/jungle-tribe-members-come-wales-2252789

Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister!!

What about applying for jobs, too? 😂

Who do you think will pay to maintain the infrastructure for this free internet broadband that’s a human right.

bonkers.

I am convinced MN has been infiltrated with bots. I’ve never read as many ridiculous posts as I have this last week or two.

When you say free, you mean, taxpayers?

Secondly, the internet is currently not free, because there are huge costs for building new infrastructure & maintaining the existing infrastructure for Business & Residential customers.
There is an army of field & office engineers, customer service, sales, administratior, planners, HR, payroll staff, managers, cleaners, caterers, security, CEOs & people keeping everything running 24x7x365

Many people keep the data centres running smoothly

Storing the emails & other data

Free = Paid for by someone else

Having a place to live is a human right but you still pay for housing . You can get the internet very cheaply , it’s a ridiculous idea .

Free region no. go to the library if its such a essential

Yes, pretty much.

And who funds this "free" internet then? Funds the infrastructure to run it, maintains it, provides routers and equipment for each household? Where would that money come from?

I know some people who do not use the internet. They still manage to funtion in society.
No internet
No mobile phone

Yes, I remember this. It's been getting more and more expensive ever since 🤣

Taxes.

It should be free at the point of use, as should the most basic version of everything necessary for life. As for funding, taxes.

YABU

I would rather all the world has access to clean, drinkable water before free internet for the people that use it

Both would be pretty good

What are our taxes paying for here - the laying of the infrastructure, running and maintaining it or the devices people need to access the internet?

You would also end up cross subsidising a lot of well off, mainly urban people. I am in London and have access to FTTP - I pay £21 per month for 150 mbit/s. It is one of my smallest monthly bills.

BBC haven't offered internet connections for years now. I think they stopped in 2009.

At the end of the day, high speed internet and infrastructure is very expensive to setup and maintain, not only data centres but the street furniture, home equipment. It would all need paying for somehow.

Also I assume when people say internet they actually mean broadband or mobile data.

It's not really withon the gift of the UK government to make "the internet" free.

Just browsing

Ryoko portable mobile WiFi gadget
It is not free
You have to pay to top it up
It connects to nearest tower

Or

Starlink
How much does that cost to use per month ?