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Legislating for Internet “Access”-ability

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Second International Handbook of Internet Research

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Abstract

The ability to access the content and services of the internet is an essential aspect of our lives. While used by many merely as a communication or entertainment tool, for those with disabilities or located in remote areas, internet access can enable a level of engagement with information, friends, and government that otherwise is not possible. Thus, through the use of the internet, other fundamental human rights are enabled. However, for the internet to be an enabler of those other rights, internet access first must be enabled. Preferably, this would occur by means of the international recognition of internet access as a fundamental human right per se, which is then supported by jurisdiction-specific policies and laws. Regrettably, this is not the current reality.

Absent recognition of internet access as a right per se all is not lost. Some jurisdictions already have taken steps or are taking steps to recognize this right. In others, the courts are beginning to engage with the essentiality of internet access for everyday life. In yet others, work has been done or is underway to extend existing universal service obligations to internet and/or broadband services. This chapter examines why legislated recognition and protection of internet access as a right per se are necessary while identifying what actions have been, are being, or should be taken to ensure the ongoing “access”-ability of the internet for all.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Lucy M. Cradduck

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  1. Lucy M. Cradduck
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Correspondence to Lucy M. Cradduck .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Communication Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Jeremy Hunsinger

  2. Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia

    Matthew M. Allen

  3. IT University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Lisbeth Klastrup

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Cradduck, L.M. (2020). Legislating for Internet “Access”-ability. In: Hunsinger, J., Allen, M., Klastrup, L. (eds) Second International Handbook of Internet Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1555-1_14

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