Hi Susan, National public communication infrastructures - like most other national public infrastructures - have properties that necessitate critical protection. This runs headlong into fanciful notions of "right to connect." No such right is likely to ever exist in the absolute. One presumes that you actually mean "right to access" here, since connection per se is absolutely meaningless. The rights involve the ability to access the signalling infrastructure and to get your packets hauled uncorrupted to intended destinations. As a useful exercise, I'd suggest that you replace the word "communications" (or another endearing related synonym) with highways, air travel, power, or other national public infrastructure and consider the result. Inherently, there are constraints and caveats on use, especially including some cost. There is no "right of access" to roadways, airtravel, or the power grid. Never will be. You and your equipment/baggage require identifiers, licenses, and inspections. You must generally pay - even if it's indirect. And, your behavior will be monitored for harm to the infrastructure or to other users. In times of emergency, you will be order or taken off the infrastructure. You are perfectly free to create your own private infrastructure, of course, and pretty much do as you wish - subject to many criminal and civil statutory caveats. But that's different from the public infrastructure. Hope this helps in sorting through the metaphysics here. best regards, tony