Is free internet access as much a universal human right as access to clean water and healthcare? Many leading experts believe that the 80% of the world’s population that is not connected to the web should have access to information through free low-bandwidth connection via mobile phones. The one fifth of the world connected to the internet, however, faces a very different problem: an insatiable appetite for bandwidth that outstrips availability. Bandwidth refers to the capacity to transfer data through a channel. Emails, for example, require less bandwidth than video. Information traffic jams result when too many users try to move information at the same time, exceeding the channel’s capacity. The popularity of mobile web devices means demand for wireless channels is growing rapidly, but bandwidth supply is limited – resulting in high charges for use. With bandwidth controlled by a handful of private suppliers, bandwidth is the subject of government debate in many countries, including the United States. Bandwidth suppliers are in favour of introducing tiered pricing structures, whereby customers paying higher rates would receive faster service. Critics believe that a tiered system violates the principle of net neutrality – whereby all data is treated as equal – and would allow suppliers to profiteer from controlling a scarce resource. Suppliers argue that they are funding huge infrastructure updates – such as switching from copper wires to expensive fiberoptics – in order to improve services.