Let’s press ahead for a universal Internet

The World Wide Web marked its 29th birthday this week, an occasion more significant this year than ever before because we have recently passed a crucial point in its evolution, with more than half the world’s population now able to go online.

The huge challenge remaining is, of course, getting the other half engaged. 
Digital inequality has become a major rights issue. Access denied translates into opportunities denied – to learn, earn a living, take advantage of digital services and partake in thought-provoking debate. It’s been claimed that, without additional measures being implemented very soon, the last billion people who are offline won’t be connected until 2042. That’s an entire generation of lost opportunities to improve people’s lives.
The bulk of the world’s citizens take the Internet for granted as much as the air they breathe and the water they drink. Without the Internet, students can’t finish their homework. Your absence from the social media for a day or two will worry your friends and relatives. Global finance and commerce are in turmoil if the data flow is disrupted. People in many professions wouldn’t even be able to do their jobs if the computer plug were pulled.
The United Nations last year decreed Internet access a fundamental human right, on a par with clean water, electricity, shelter and food. The aim was to spur efforts to connect the balance of society. But how is that noble goal to be achieved? The surest and fastest way would be for telecom companies to set short-term profits aside and think of the long-term benefits that would accrue for them and for the world if they extended their services. They should be prepared to share the costs of expansion and education with governments. More support is needed for policies and business models that foster access to the Net. The targeted population must be those living in the poorest corners of the planet. Technical infrastructure should be put in place and adequate skill training offered. 
In Thailand, much of the responsibility rests with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. Internet fees have been decreasing, but mainly because of business competition. The charges fixed by wealthy telecom firms should be even lower, not least because services and frequencies are identified in the Constitution as national resources, and thus should be available to all Thais.
Telecom entrepreneurs justify their rates as a function of the tremendous investments they make. That’s fair enough, but let the NBTC find a way to balance this rationale against the public interest. If Internet access is equal to the availability of electricity and clean water, the commission will have to make significant changes, including far lower charges for telecom frequencies.
The Web, for all its utility, presents problems too, such as the proliferation of false or misleading information and its vulnerability to abuse by governments and private corporations. Resolving such issues is, however, of secondary importance compared to making online access universal. Real democracy comes with true knowledge, so some of the problems can be solved if all people in the world can enrich themselves through the Net. Consider too the remarkable boost that the Web has given to innovation and creativity among half the world’s population – and imagine what could happen when we’re all online.