+1 On Mon, Jun 6, 2011 at 1:33 AM, JC Dill <jcdill.lists@gmail.com> wrote:
There's a significant difference between Internet "access" and Internet "service". I have access to the roads. But that doesn't magically get me vehicular transportation from place A to place B. I need to buy a bus ticket, or buy a car and gasoline, in order to get service over these roads to transport myself from place A to place B.
When the UN says that Internet access is a human right, they aren't saying it should be provided for free, but they are saying that it should be available (for those who can afford a service fee), and more importantly that cutting it off for political purposes should be treated as a violation of human rights of freedom of assembly and communication. In the 1700s the US revolution and subsequent state formation (the United States of America) was created first by people assembling at public halls and private houses. In 2011, the Arab Spring revolutions have taken place by public assemblies that were initially organized in internet forums (Facebook, Twitter, private blogs, etc.). I do not see anything wrong with the UN position on Internet access.
jc
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