Is a mobile phone a basic human right?

There's an interesting piece in the Toronto Star entitled: Is a cellphone a basic human right?

It's one of those counter-intuitive questions that makes little sense until you put it in context. If you live in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, does a mobile phone become less a "want" and more of a "need"? Have certain technologies become so essential to our lives that the State should, in certain circumstances, provide it? In this case, the US Government seems to think so.

A fascinating read.