[MD] freedom is for the rich

[ARLO J BENSINGER JR]

[Ian]
Probably tangential to your original point, but some might say access to the
internet was pretty close to a basic human need.

[Arlo]
I don't know if I'd call it a basic human need (which I'd term a biological
need), but its certainly a basic social need. Not the Internet per se, mind
you, but "access to information" wherever that information resides.

I've made the argument before, but simply stated, access to information is a
vital part of ensuring society remains Dynamic. When informatio is controlled,
by a Party, economic group or power elite, social level patterns stagnate
quickly. By developing an infrastructure than ensures all individuals have
reasonable access to information, we ensure our society remains vibrant and
strong. 

In the past, public libraries filled this goal. Today, with more and more
information being digitized, it makes sense to provide basic Internet access in
our public libraries (and possibly other public areas, depending on community
size and need). Our libraries are (or should be) served by public transit,
which ensures that even the poorest among us has reasonable access to the same
information as the wealthiest. 

[Ian]
Given the commercial tying up of many mainstream media channels and
publications, a free internet, is probably the equivalent of press freedoms, in
any earlier declarations of rights.

[Arlo]
This is just an extension of what you are saying, but I'd argue too that blocks
of airwaves should be returned to the "commons", as Lessig argues in "The
Future of Ideas".