Digitization is present in every field. Considering this, high speed internet should be considered a luxury or a basic right?
Easy access to the internet and digital platforms has become essential for most of us in our everyday lives. The Supreme Court of India also ruled that access to Internet is synonymous with right to speech and Expression under Article 19, thus protected under Fundamental rights. Online websites enable us to work, shop, communicate, and access important services from the comfort of our homes. During pandemics like that of Covid-19, access to the internet becomes even more essential for protecting our health while our everyday movements are restricted. A lack of access to the internet significantly impacts people’s lives during this time. The internet enables us to receive and share vital information about the pandemic and the measures being put in place to tackle it. It helps us to understand and scrutinise our governments’ actions. Several daily activities have shifted online, ranging from the provision of health services to education programmes that enable home schooling.
The pandemic, however, led to a societal divide as physical distance, the new lifestyle of work from home, and digitization of almost everything humans do. It has highlighted some of the inequities which are creating a digital divide in India. To realise the dream of an inclusive digital India, internet needs to be made affordable and a public good. It has become a luxury for some, but not so much for others. Although internet needs to be the basic right of every citizen of India, it is still a luxury enjoyed by the educated and privileged sections of our country. This can be proved through the following points:
• Digital Divide to Inequality in society- With more than 630 million subscribers, India is home to the world’s second largest internet user base. But, 51.20% of India’s population are not connected to the internet, and hence, do not have access to basic information and opportunities. People who do have the access are well-educated, and gain from the shift to online technologies to conduct businesses, make/receive payments, meetings and conferences, etc. However, the backward classes, senior citizens and women who are underprivileged communities of our society have fallen further behind in this digital race.
• Employment- The strict implementation of Covid lockdown for months made daily wageearning workers dip into their little savings to sustain themselves. People, who could not go online by the nature of the job that requires in-person presence, were rendered jobless. But, for the white-collar professionals who are able to work from home had a more limited effect on their jobs and earnings. The future is expected to offer more online employment than offline. If internet remains a luxury, majority of India’s lower and middle class will be deprived of the growth opportunities.
• Spatial distribution of Internet- Internet density of urban areas is 97.9%, whereas, internet density in rural areas is only 25.3% even though 66% of country’s population lives in villages. People living in rural areas, low-income households, and those residing in less developed states also get less reliable internet. Therefore, they face many problems such as difficulty in attending online classes, financial transactions, and e-governance, which require access to internet and the ability to operate internet-enabled devices like phones, tablets, and computers. People in rural areas are finding it impossible to access internet based services like e-governance and emedicine.
• Health and Governance- Lack of access to the internet has left people unable to access the different government services like Aadhaar card, different subsidies, governmental benefits, and easy regulatory compliances. It also affects utilisation of health services under National Digital Health Mission (NDHM). Participation in digital economy disproportionately rewards some and excludes others.
• Basic Human Rights- A study published in the Journal of Applied Philosophy, shows that the internet could be a key way of protecting other basic human rights such as life, liberty, and freedom from torture -- a means of enabling billions of people to lead 'minimally decent lives'. RTI is an example of citizen empowerment, that has enabled many citizens to demand basic human rights by questioning the government.
Ways to make internet a basic right in India:
• Infrastructure- Proper implementation of Indian government’s initiatives to make internet a basic right in every household include schemes like National Optical Fibre network through BharatNet, National e-Governance Plan, Digital India campaign, National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), and primary, secondary and higher education learning/teaching turned to virtual classes on national broadcaster Doordarshan. Through these schemes and plans, the government aims to subsidise internet access for low-income households.
• Opportunity for the private sector- Presently, the government and the private sector are focused on Tier 1 cities in Internet penetration due to low customer acquisition cost. The private sector must be shown opportunities in penetrating into the rural areas and gain first mover advantage. Additionally, the private sector must also commit to providing equal service and networks to rural and underserved communities so that all individuals can participate in equal ways in digital India.
• Financial support- NITI Aayog should evaluate the urgent need to set up the Digital Equity Fund at the national level to finance core digital inclusion activities at the local level to be carried out with active involvement of state and local self-government.
• Skilling of people- Public and civil society institutions should strive to impart skills to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and access to information is increasing through digital technologies like internet platforms, social media and mobile/laptop/desktop and television devised systems.
Public good refers to a good or a service that is made freely available to the public; something that is non-rivalrous and non-exclusionary, and the internet presents both. Internet access has become inevitable for employment, education, obtaining government services, weather updates, knowing agricultural commodity prices, civic engagement, telemedicine, etc. Several countries like Brazil, Spain, Greece, and Finland have imposed universal and affordable broadband internet access as a legal obligation to the incumbent service providers. The centrality of digital connectivity in daily life is essential to be recognised, and the state should provide for universal quality broadband connectivity in India. Access to broadband connectivity should be a basic human right and an empowering tool with its intrinsic social and economic value.