- Sobre los alcances del Proyecto de Ley No. 2780/2017-CR:
El 28 de mayo de 2018 se presentó el Proyecto de Ley No. 2780/2017-CR: “Proyecto de Ley que Declara el Acceso a Internet como un Derecho Humano”. Según lo establecido en el artículo 1 del referido Proyecto, el objetivo del mismo es declarar el acceso a Internet como un derecho fundamental:
Article 1.
Objective:
"To declare a fundamental right to internet access for all Peruvian citizens residing in the national territory."
As part of the grounds set forth in the Statement of Motives, it has been indicated that the Bill under comment "(....) seeks to declare the existence of a fundamental right over the Internet, recognizing to all Peruvians the fundamental right to access and enjoy it efficiently, since it is an enabler to other rights declared as fundamental such as the right to information, right to information and communication technologies, right to privacy and telecommunications, helping users to access different contents, services and access to state advertising that the state promotes as a product of the management of its modernization through its accounts in social networks and its web portal.
The declaration of this new fundamental right will not only favor the inclusion and development of remote, rural and underprivileged populations but, as a relational right, it becomes a key element to promote the quality of life of Peruvians and also other elementary rights such as the right to education, information and freedom of expression. Since the concretization of the right must be promoted mainly by the State, it turns out to be a fundamental right of a positive nature or a benefit right".
- Regarding the legal nature and essential content of a fundamental right:
Fundamental rights are founded pluralistically, in other criteria, in their peculiar nature, in their historicity, in the existence of universal ethical principles, etc. They are the minimum moral foundation that gives rise to the political organization of society, so that through their recognition and protection they contribute to the happiness and welfare of the population[1].
They can be defined as those essential elements of the political legal system, which deriving from the superior values stemming from the dignity of the human being (such as equality, justice and freedom), ground, guide and determine it, appearing as subjective rights of the subjects of law (according to the type of law in question), and as objective elements that protect, regulate and guarantee the various spheres and relations of social life, with their own normative force of the highest hierarchy[2].
As recognized by our Constitutional Court[3], the concept of fundamental rights includes both ethical assumptions and legal components, meaning the moral relevance of an idea that compromises human dignity and its objectives of moral autonomy, and also the legal relevance that turns rights into a basic material norm of the legal system, and is a necessary instrument for the individual to develop all his potentialities in society.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning that Article 3 of our Political Constitution expressly recognizes that the enumeration of fundamental rights set forth in Article 2, "(...) does not exclude the others guaranteed by the Constitution, nor others of a similar nature or which are based on the dignity of man, or on the principles of sovereignty of the people, the democratic rule of law and the republican form of government".
However, the need for their recognition and protection is based on the need to preserve, develop and perfect the human being in the fulfillment of his purposes of existence and association. Fundamental rights are not conferred by the State, but flow from the very nature of the human being and belong equally to all members of the population[4].
The main characteristics that distinguish fundamental rights are the following[5]:
- Universal: Their principles are common to all human beings, without distinction of any kind. They are the common and perpetual heritage of humanity.
- Intrinsic: Their possession and enjoyment does not depend on the prior accreditation of any quality or property other than that of being a human being.
- Absolute: They are the genuine expression of fundamental goods relevant to their holders, constituting supreme requirements with respect to any other arising from economic, political, etc. considerations. They are requirements that, in case of conflict with others, displace them to the point of annulling them.
- Inalienable: Such rights cannot be transferred to other subjects. Due to their ontic character, it is not possible to renounce them. In short, their arbitrary disposition is inadmissible.
- Perpetual: Its principles are not mutable, since human nature does not change or vary.
- Indelible: Its principles cannot be suppressed from human feeling.
- Unitary: Its principles are indivisible, since they are the same, regardless of time or place.
- Mandatory: Its principles must be accepted in a generic way.
- Necessary: Its principles are indispensable for human existence and coexistence.
Sin embargo, del contenido de la Exposición del Proyecto de Ley No. 2780/2017-CR no se aprecia ningún extremo en el que se haga referencia a alguna de las características antes mencionadas, por lo que consideramos que no hay el sustento suficiente ni concurren las condiciones necesarias para que proceda el reconocimiento de un “derecho fundamental al acceso a internet”.
- On Internet access as a public service:
Tal como ha sido reconocido en la Sentencia del Pleno Jurisdiccional del Tribunal Constitucional, recaída en el Expediente No. 00034-2004-PI/TC, si bien nuestro ordenamiento jurídico no ha previsto una disposición que con carácter general establezca o recoja una definición de Servicio Público, “(…) es importante tomar en cuenta que existen una serie de elementos que en conjunto permiten caracterizar, en grandes rasgos, a un servicio como público y en atención a los cuales, resulta razonable su protección como bien constitucional de primer orden y actividades económicas de especial promoción para el desarrollo del país.”
These elements are as follows:
a) Nature essential to the community.
b) Necessary continuity of service over time.
c) Regular nature (i.e., minimum quality standard).
d) The need for equal access.
En ese sentido, somos de la opinión que del contenido de la Exposición del Proyecto de Ley No. 2780/2017-CR sí es posible apreciar fundamentos que guardan relación con los elementos antes mencionados que sustentan la calificación del Acceso a Internet como un Servicio Público.
Al respecto, resulta pertinente destacar que en el artículo 12[6] del Texto Único Ordenado de la Ley de Telecomunicaciones (aprobado mediante Decreto Supremo No. 013-93-TCC) se reconoce al Acceso a Internet como un Servicio Público de Telecomunicaciones.
Sin perjuicio de ello, cabe mencionar que en el artículo 40 del Texto Único Ordenado de la Ley de Telecomunicaciones (aprobado mediante Decreto Supremo No. 013-93-TCC) señala expresamente que serán considerados o calificados como “Servicios Públicos” en materia de telecomunicaciones, aquellos servicios que: (i) que hayan sido declarados como tales en el Reglamento de la Ley de Telecomunicaciones; (ii) que se encuentren a disposición del público en general; y, (iii) cuya utilización implique el pago de una contraprestación.
Precisamente, en relación a lo indicado en el párrafo precedente, en el texto actualmente vigente del numeral 1 del artículo 238[7] del Reglamento de la Ley de Telecomunicaciones (aprobado mediante Decreto Supremo No. 020-2007-MTC), se ha declarado al Acceso a Internet como un Servicio Público (específicamente, un servicio público de valor añadido de conmutación de datos por paquetes).
El reconocimiento del Acceso a Internet como un Servicio Público se encuentra asimismo previsto en el numeral vii) del artículo 1 del Reglamento General de los Servicios Públicos de Telecomunicaciones, aprobado mediante Resolución de Consejo Directivo No. 123-2014-CD/OSIPTEL (modificado mediante la Resolución de Consejo Directivo No. 89-2016-CD/OSIPTEL.
Por tanto, somos de la opinión que no resulta procedente el reconocimiento del Acceso a Internet como un derecho fundamental, como lo pretende el Proyecto de Ley No. 2780/2017-CR; toda vez que dicha actividad se encuentra ya reconocida expresamente como un Servicio Público en materia de telecomunicaciones.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=»20px»][vc_column_text]
Source: prometheo.pe
