Whether is it merely a stereotype or a proper characterization, the voting demographic known as millennials are criticized for their desire to have everything free. This voting group wants free health care, free family paid medical leave, free food, free college tuition, a high hourly wage, and free nationwide Wi-Fi.
In this article, a married man makes his case for free Wi-Fi internet. While it isn’t certain if he is a millennial, it is clear that he too believes there is something amiss with the fact that the United States does not have nation Wi-Fi coverage for free.
The man reasons that Estonia, a former Soviet satellite state in the Baltic region, has now surpassed the United States in terms of its advancements with communications technology. It is an interesting point given that the nation was far behind the West when it broke free of the Soviet Union 25 years ago. Since that time, the small nation has free Wi-Fi coverage for its citizens and 95% of the population is connected to the internet. In fact, these developments have largely occurred over the past decade.
Meanwhile, the United States lags behind in terms of nationwide coverage. In all honesty, this is due in part to the big ISP players such as Comcast and the telecom companies. It is expensive to offer high speed internet in rural or sparsely populated areas. Any company wanting to offer services in such areas must be able to turn a profit, or they’ll go out of business. President Obama has unveiled an initiative to increase broadband access in rural areas, but it would still fall short of nationwide Wi-Fi coverage.