Should the Internet be free?

Do you think the Internet should be free for everyone to use? Why or why not?
I think no, since lots of countries invest in datacenters to make the artificial web happen and who's gonna afford that for free?
 
Do you think the Internet should be free for everyone to use? Why or why not?
No. Free things are what leads to them being inundated with ads. Should access to the Internet be free? Sure. I think there should be a basic internet package with ads in the browsers to help sponsor and pay for the hosting costs, and a premium version without ads.

"As long as there is a cost to running hardware, the Internet will not be free of charge."

"At this moment in history, there is no conceivable way for free Internet to exist universally, but there are many places where that is a reality and people are going online. In the places that it matters, such as in remote villages, connectivity is still a long way away."

 
I believe free basic internet should be available to all for anything low-key like pay bills or order something vital much like how you can get free basic cable. But if you're looking at streaming, gaming, ect. then you need to start paying for it.
 
I believe free basic internet should be available to all for anything low-key like pay bills or order something vital much like how you can get free basic cable. But if you're looking at streaming, gaming, ect. then you need to start paying for it.
This is what I agree with as well. With so many services now relying on you visiting a website and using it, I think countries should have some sort of basic internet connection available for free to anyone that wants it. Obviously, it's not going to be great but it should be enough to do the basics.

This is an issue that was highlighted a bit in the UK recently with schools closed due to COVID. Some kids don't have access to the internet and they aren't able to do school work. A few companies have started providing devices and dongles to give these kids access to the internet which has been very nice
 
The person who founded the internet and originally created it made it for the sole purpose of having it to be completely free and accessible to everyone. However, the world's ran on money and it wasn't long until that changed.

My honest thoughts are indifferent. It's a service just like anything else, and it is completely justifiable and understandable to have it free. However, in this day in age it's also very needed in most day to day things, especially during the whole covid ordeal. Most people are forced to work from home, and as such it SHOULD be provided by the company as it is in fact a company expense as of now.
 
The person who founded the internet and originally created it made it for the sole purpose of having it to be completely free and accessible to everyone. However, the world's ran on money and it wasn't long until that changed.

My honest thoughts are indifferent. It's a service just like anything else, and it is completely justifiable and understandable to have it free. However, in this day in age it's also very needed in most day to day things, especially during the whole covid ordeal. Most people are forced to work from home, and as such it SHOULD be provided by the company as it is in fact a company expense as of now.

ideals and actual things happening are two different things. The cost to lay lines, pay for the ISP support and whatever else does pile up quickly.
 
It's not a human right and isn't necessary for survival, so no, the internet should not be free. Who is going to pay for things? Free things are NEVER free, someone pays for it in some way or another.
 
I feel that really basic internet speeds to be able to do things such as get online to do home work, school work or even college and university work, some kind of internet package for those who struggle should be available but if you want better and faster speeds you should have to pay for it.

So many tend to go without the internet because they simply cannot afford it even though they may need it just for basic things.
 
It's already free in a lot of urban areas. For instance, one example is downtown Nashville. However, I don't know how it can be maintained other than via tax revenue.
 
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