Digital Infrastructure: Public Good or Private Commodity?—Rethinking the Right to Internet Access in the Context of Urban Digitisation

Abstract

The Indian state has been steadily increasing its focus on and use of digital technologies. This article argues that if digitisation is to continue and accelerate, certain other aspects of digitisation require greater scrutiny. To begin with, for digitisation to be meaningful to citizens, it is necessary to consider them not only as data points but as participants. This requires improved access to the internet. In order to do so, it is incumbent upon the Indian state to enhance digital infrastructure. However, this infrastructure cannot be narrowly conceived. There are material, educational, and legislative interventions that make digital infrastructure meaningful, accessible and non-extractive. This article raises two questions: should access to the internet be considered a basic right? And, if feasible, what would such a policy entail? This article attempts to shed light on India’s digital divide, look at the direction in which public–private relations are headed in an increasingly digital India and discuss the benefits of considering digital infrastructure—rather than the internet itself—as a public good rather than a private commodity. Such infrastructure includes laws and policies that protect and empower citizens.