Sir Tim Berners-Lee (TimB), inventor of the World Wide Web (WWW), has told attendees at this year's Nokia World 2010 event that everybody should be given access to a "[free internet] data plan by default". He also warned that failing to protect Net Neutrality (the principal of treating all broadband internet traffic as equal) could kill the internet.


As for offering a free basic internet connection to everybody, Sir Tim suggested that even a slow low-bandwidth service offered via a mobile phone could help, especially in developing countries. In such places the high cost of internet access, made worse by government taxes, can prohibit its adoption.

Sir Tim's philosophy on this is simple but effective. He suggests that by offering a free service the operators would be helping to encourage a more financially well off and educated society that would one day be willing to pay more for a faster service.

Similarly, council funded, FREE Wi-Fi schemes have also cropped in some cities around the UK and helped to connect thousands more people to the internet. If it can work here then why not elsewhere? The United Nations (UN) is also calling for something similar.