Kerala has become the first state to have its own internet services, as announced by CM Vijayan

Kerala, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, has become the first and also only state in the nation to have its own internet service.

The declaration came after the Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd, the government’s ambitious IT infrastructure project to make the internet available to everyone in the state, the Department of Telecommunications granted them an Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence.

The initiative, which aims to bridge the digital divide in society, may now begin operations, according to the CM.

“Kerala is the first state in the country to establish its own internet service.” @DoT India has granted the Kerala Fiber Optic Network Ltd an ISP licence. Now, our prestigious #KFON project can begin its operations of giving internet access as a basic human right to our people “Vijayan posted a tweet.

The KFON plan aims to give free internet access to low-income families and 30,000 government workplaces.

The previous Left administration proclaimed internet access a fundamental right in 2019 and started the Rs 1,548-crore KFON initiative.

Is the right to Internet access fundamental or basic?

Not only CM Vijayan, but also the Kerala High Court, decided in 2019 that the right to Internet access is part of the fundamental right to education and the right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution. Article 21 is about ‘Protection of Life and Personal Liberty,’ and it includes the Right to Education. According to the Kerala High Court, internet connection falls within the same category.

At the time, the Kerala Cabinet had authorised a Rs 1,548-crore programme to give Internet access to every family in the state. It further mentioned that internet access is free for 20 lakh BPL homes and 30,000 government establishments in the state.