11 months on from the Supreme Court's decision on internet shutdowns in the matter of Anuradha Bhasin v Union of India, there is still no compliance.
In our comments, we highlighted the need to revamp the policy and regulatory initiatives surrounding the broadband infrastructure in the country to ensure that every citizen has access to the internet irrespective of their geographical location or social and economic status.
We asked them to ensure that the BharatNet Project, which aims to provide fast internet connectivity to the whole country, is operationalised according to pre-existing timelines so that these issues can be resolved.
We wrote to Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma, the Honourable Member of Parliament for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands stating our concerns and urging him to escalate the matter with PMO and MeitY.
We have written to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Department of Telecommunications highlighting the prevalent issues in A&N Islands and providing certain recommendations.
In this blogpost, we aim to highlight the access to internet problems being faced by the citizens of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a focus on the delays in the ongoing CANI Submarine Cable Systems Project.