In the midst of the current pandemic, internet access has become more crucial than ever. While the right to internet has not been recognized as a fundamental right under the Constitution of India, in Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India it was held that the internet is a medium to exercise fundamental rights. In this blogpost, we aim to highlight the access to internet problems being faced by the citizens of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and how this is affecting them particularly due to the pandemic. In this regard, infrastructural constraints mean the region is languishing with low-speed and prohibitively expensive internet connectivity. Such conditions lead to disproportionate and exclusionary outcomes. In this regard, the pandemic has also delayed the implementation of the Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (CANI) Submarine Cable Systems Project. The CANI Project is meant to bring high speed broadband connectivity to the inhabitants and was supposed to be completed by June, 2020.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://internetfreedom.in/for-the-people-of-andaman-nicobar-islands-4g-internet-at-reasonable-tariffs-is-still-a-dream/