I recently read a post published by Nick Sauers via 1 to 1 schools that strongly favored making access to high-speed Internet a "human" right. Nick indicated that the United Nations Human Rights Council has come down firmly on the pro side of the debate by declaring that access to the Internet is a "fundamental human right" in a brief published following their seventeenth session in May, 2011.
Opinions in the United States will run strong on this issue. Undoubtedly, many will decry this right as an attack of Socialism or that access to the Internet is not a human rights issue but rather a luxury commodity. I don't believe the right to Internet access is an undecided issue. The International community of educators and the United States population have already signaled their belief that Internet access is a right.
At the 2010 TED Conference, Professor Sugata Mitra discussed a series of educational experiments designed to bring powerful educational tools to often marginalized areas of the world. His experiment involved setting up a single Internet connected computer that allowed students self-directed use of the web. In the United States, many would see this addition to a classroom as a redundant measure because we assume ubiquitous Internet access (this assumption is false). However, in many countries, Internet access is not the norm as a result of weak infrastructures, political or philosophical restrictions, and funding issues.
Professor Sugata found that simply providing students with Internet access increased self-directed learning. The students, who were not provided training or directive to use the computer, self-monitored their use and began to explore educational web content. Without the Internet, the world of information beyond their locale would be inaccessible and their potential for contributing and participating in the global community would be impossible. Sugata's research strongly implies the need to consider access to the Internet a basic human right but evidence is found elsewhere, outside the educational circle.
Two recent products demonstrate the American assumption of the right to access the Internet, the Google Chromebook and the Amazon Kindle Fire. Both of these products rely on the "cloud", the off-site storage of digital materials and programming, to reduce the storage and processing needs normally associated with computers and readers. For these products to be viable, the assumption must be made that ALL users will have nearly full-time access to the Internet. When products demonstrate such assumption, how can one state that the Internet is not a basic human right? Our culture validates the assumption as demonstrated by the products we choose to purchase.
With consideration to equity, if we assume the right to Internet access in our own country we must acknowledge the right to Internet access for all. I believe, even though many will disagree, that the UN was correct; access to the Internet must be considered a "basic human right" if we are to move forward as a people within our continually more connected global society.
