> we are converging on the consensus that Internet access is a basic human right
(Off-topic) It's a bit fun we seem to have skipped postal mail, telephony and especially amateur radio communications. Or maybe I'm unaware of those being considered as such, but I'm almost certain the latter isn't considered one, as it's something you (generally, not sure this is universal for every jurisdiction on the planet, huh) need to obtain a license for.
We didn't "skip" anything. I don't believe any 'rightsholder' has ever demanded that all postal mail be stopped because they've accused the mail receptacle of receiving infringing material. Or that telephone service be suspended because someone's listening to infringing material on it. Or that all amateur radio equipment in a household be surrendered because someone broadcast infringing material. (This last one would seem to be the most likely scenario to have occurred, but I believe the HAM folk are generally self-regulating...)
Besides, in the US, the FCC did indeed decide that plain-old telephone service was indeed so important to our society that they created regulations to provide access to service at the same price no matter how distant people lived from the nearest 'central office.' I don't believe anyone has ever had any ability to remove telephone service from a home except the home owner and phone company and only for reasons of non-payment of the bill.
Could you imagine the fallout if the copyright holders were able to get the US mail to stop delivery to your house because you ordered a bootleg CD? Or have the phone company cut off your service, if the suspected copyright violation took place using a dial-up internet service?
The Postal Clause is in Article 1 of the US Constitution.
I'm honestly not sure if that constitutes the US government supporting it as a human right, but I can't think of a more direct way of going about it (aside from waiting to later add it to the Bill of Rights).
To be fair, Congress could have been crap at setting the postal service up and been completely negligent, but that didn't really happen. Most of us hope the Internet is eventually entrenched similarly. Somehow.
We generally consider things something like human rights that you need in order to participate in general public life. As such, postal mail and telephone very much would be, ham radio not so much.
(Off-topic) It's a bit fun we seem to have skipped postal mail, telephony and especially amateur radio communications. Or maybe I'm unaware of those being considered as such, but I'm almost certain the latter isn't considered one, as it's something you (generally, not sure this is universal for every jurisdiction on the planet, huh) need to obtain a license for.