Abstract
With Internet access increasingly a vital element of day to day life, this paper explores the concept of the universal service obligation (USO) in telecommunications law and policy, and considers the arguments for it to be expanded in the digital age to include access to broadband as a fundamental right. It considers aspects of United States, European Union, and United Kingdom policy to consider the digital inclusion limitations of a legal concept that was created in an analogue time. Highlighting the increasing use of broadband and mobile telephony, the paper argues for a broader concept of universal service to emerge to help connect the digitally excluded and let them take their rightful place as digital citizens.
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McMenemy, D. (2022). Internet Access and Bridging the Digital Divide: The Crucial Role of Universal Service Obligations in Telecom Policy. In: Smits, M. (eds) Information for a Better World: Shaping the Global Future. iConference 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 13192. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96957-8_12
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