The law was passed: the internet will now be a public service
Regulations include subsidies and increased penalties for telecommunications companies to ensure household connectivity.
After a long process, the Chamber of Deputies approved with a large majority the bill that enshrines the Internet as a public service. This means that once the law – promoted during the second government of former President Michelle Bachelet – is enacted and the associated regulations are approved, the provision of internet will be able to be monitored in the same way as mobile telephony, while a series of tools will be enabled in order to bridge the digital divide.
“We are very proud that we have finally passed the Internet as a Public Service Act. A law that takes care of the country’s need to bridge the digital divide, that today no one can be left out of access to the Internet,” said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Juan Carlos Muñoz.
The Secretary of State stressed that during the pandemic it became clear how complex it was not to be connected, “how that means being left out of accessibility to services, connectivity that today is fundamental in this modern life. It’s just as bad to have no internet services on a given day as it is to have my electricity cut off and my water cut off. Or maybe today it’s as unthinkable for many of us not to have access to the internet as it is to have no access to the streets.”
Follow us on: 
For his part, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications, Claudio Araya, said that, “today we took a great step in the recognition of rights in a society that is increasingly digital. When this bill is enacted and all the relevant regulations are approved, families in our country will receive a clear and timely answer about the time it will take to access services. There is no quota or there is no technical feasibility, it will not be able to be a response from companies when it comes to reaching the different areas of our country with fixed Internet.”
The Benefits
Some of the benefits that are enabled with the approval of the law revolve around the deepening of the obligation of companies to provide digital connectivity services in all places where they have coverage. eliminating the concept of red zones as a limitation when it comes to reaching certain areas of the country with services.
On the other hand, the Undersecretary of Telecommunications will see its oversight work strengthened and with this, it will be able to increase sanctions and fines for legal and regulatory breaches by telecommunications companies.
On the other hand, the regulation also allows the creation of mechanisms to grant subsidy to demand and thus help families pay for home Internet plans.