This proposal addresses a structural digital divide driven by unequal infrastructure, affordability constraints, and limited digital capabilities. Although 68% of the global population was online in 2024, 2.6 billion people remain excluded, with only 27% connectivity in low-income countries. This disparity reflects entrenched socio-economic inequalities, but its correction can lift many out of poverty as the world moves more towards a digital era. Empirical evidence shows that connectivity can raise incomes among marginalized populations. However, where access is unaffordable or unsupported, digitalization may deepen inequality rather than reduce poverty.
The proposal adopts a rights-based approach that treats internet access as essential public infrastructure. It combines public provision in underserved regions, regulated market competition in viable areas, and hybrid public–private partnerships (PPPs) with open-access infrastructure. These are reinforced through affordability regulations and investments in digital literacy and device access, among others. For example, India’s BharatNet expanded rural connectivity through public investment. Rwanda implemented wholesale PPP model to extend nationwide 4G coverage. This proposal reframes internet access from a private commodity to a public good. It redistributes opportunities by lowering barriers to education, finance, and markets, particularly for marginalized populations. It also reshapes governance by embedding regulatory oversight, open-access systems, and universal service obligations. By integrating affordability, gender equity, and digital literacy, the policy facilitates meaningful connectivity rather than nominal access. It is anchored in States’ human rights obligations, including policies and measures to ensure free and unhindered access to information to all without discrimination, as central element of the right to freedom of expression, and to strengthen economic participation.
