Net Connectivity

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The United Nations has officially declared internet access as a Right which has been affirmed by 47 nations across the world.  While blocking and filtering measures deny users access to specific content on the Internet states ha!e also taken measures to cut off access to the Internet entirely UN considers cutting off users from fr om internet access regardless of the "ustification pro!ided including on the grounds of !iolating intellectual property rights law to be disproportionate and thus a !iolation of #rticle $% paragraph & of the International 'o!enant on 'i!il and (olitical Rights.  # United Nations report said that disconnecting people from the internet is a )uman Rights !iolation and against International *aw. # report from the )uman Rights 'ouncil of the United Nations +eneral #ssembly declares access to the Internet a  basic human right which enables indi!iduals to ,e-ercise their right to freedom of opinion and e-pression., The recommendations of the United Nations //& World 0ummit on the Information 0ociety reflect the need for internet as a medium for enforcement of fundamental right of e-pression. The (lan of #ction adopted at that 0ummit included that 0tates 1promote research and de!elopment to facilitate accessibility of information communication technologies 2I'Ts3 for all including disad!antaged marginalied and !ulnerable groups.5 In the $st century Internet has become a central part of e!eryday life for its .4  billion users worldwide. The Internet has re!olutionised the way people interact interact and e-ercise their freedom of e-pression and information as well as related fundamental rights. Internet access hence facilitates the realisation of cultural ci!il and political rights.  # right is defined as a power pri!ilege demand or claim possessed by a particular person by !irtue of law. The idea of internet as a right is not new. While there ha!e  been debates about considering the right to internet access a necessity gi!en all all the other problems that de!eloping and least de!eloped countries cou ntries face a celebrated author rightly pointed out that 1it5s unrealistic to ask that e!eryone wait until hospitals are built in e!ery corner of their respecti!e res pecti!e countries before being able to access Internet that comes at a reasonable cost and functions at a reasonable speed5. )ence internet as a right facilitates the in!iolable right to freedom of speech and e-pression under #rticle $% 2$32a3 of 'onstitution of India.

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The )on5ble 0upreme 'ourt in Maneka in Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India India 2#IR $%76 0' %73 held that the freedom of speech and e-pression has no geographical limitation and it carries with it the right of a citien to gather information and to e-change thoughts with others not only in India but abroad as well. This was at the time when no one had e!er thought internet will become a borderless phenomenon. 0imilarly in Secretary, in Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vs. Cricket Association of Bengal  2 $%% #IR $&83 it was held that e!ery citien has a fundamental right to impart impart as well as recei!e information information through the electronic media. # broader interpretation of 9electronic media: can definitely mean Internet as well. U0 president ;arack whether a phone call or a packet of data., India too on it part denounced attempts to breach Net Neutrality. TR#I has recently trashed ?acebook@s ?ree ;asics. ;ut despite being Neutral Net 0peed is one thing that can lead to discrimination. If  broadband companies are allowed to charge content pro!iders higher for faster internet ser!ices it would discriminate against those who can@t afford to pay such rates. This would mean lopsided a!ailability of information A a fundamental resource for a democratic world. The Bigital India a flagship programme of the +o!ernment of India was launched  with a !ision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. The Three 'ore areas areA Bigital B igital Infrastructure as a 'ore Utility to C!ery 'itien +o!ernance and 0er!ices on Bemand and Bigital Cmpowerment of 'itiens. ;ut it is interesting to obser!e that e!en though the global a!erage internet connection speed increased & percent to .8 Dbps in the Euarter ended Becember /$ compared to the same period of /$4 a report said on Wednesday India if performing Euite poorly with a!erage speed of less l ess than half of World@s #!erage net speed.

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The report 9?ourth Fuarter /$ 0tate of the Internet Report: was released by  #kamai Technologies a global leader in content deli!ery network ser!ices. 9?rom a global perspecti!e the a!erage connection speed increased 6.8 percent EuarterAo!erAEuarter 2FoF3 and & percent yearAo!erAyear 2GoG3 to .8 Dbps while the global a!erage peak connection speed increased $ percent FoF and increased $ percent GoG to &. Dbps: it said. 0outh Horea had the highest a!erage connection speed in #siaA(acific region at 8.7 Dbps while India had the lowest at .6 Dbps. 9This Euarter5s 2
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The report also showed ;ritain had the fastest a!erage mobile connection speed at 8.6 Dbps with 0pain in second place at $4 Dbps. Iran had the lowest a!erage connection speed at $.& Dbps followed by Kietnam with an a!erage connection speed of $.6 Dbps.  IANS