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| Internet access should be a basic right |
Internet inventor Tim Berners-Lee said in a new post on a blog marking his 32nd birthday that governments must work hard to ensure global access to the Internet by 2030 to narrow the digital divide and enable technology. Society takes on a better responsibility. For the internet.
The inventor of the World Wide Web wrote in a blog co-authored by Rosemary Leith, co-founder of the Web Foundation: The government should enact effective technical regulations and hold companies accountable for creating responsible products and services.
The blog noted that there are still many excluded youth who cannot use the internet to share their talents and ideas. New ideas and innovative opportunities are missed opportunities that can serve humanity for any young person who is offline.
With people trying to work and study from home and often use patchy internet connections, widening the digital divide has become a priority during the coronavirus pandemic.
Additionally, according to the Pew Research Center, two-thirds of people who live in rural areas in the United States have extensive transportation, while only 79% of those who live in the suburbs.
According to a UNICEF survey, only a third of young people under the age of 25 have an internet connection at home which prevents 2.2 billion young people from surfing the stable internet and needing to study online.
Young people need to be protected from online abuse and misinformation, which puts their participation at risk and can force them to leave the platform altogether.
This is especially true for people who have been severely attacked because of their race, religion, gender, and ability.
The inventor of the World Wide Web called for Internet access as a fundamental right and said that the cost of ensuring every young person has access to the Internet can be met.
By financing network infrastructure, and supporting and sustaining community networks, every young person on the planet can access the network.
A4AI, an initiative of the Web Foundation, found that an additional investment of $ 428 billion over ten years will provide everyone with a high-quality internet connection.
According to the latest analysis by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, providing universal access to broadband will bring in direct economic benefits of $ 8.7 trillion over the next 10 years.