EU considers turning Internet access into a fundamental human right

An effort by the European parliament to limit the reach of anti-piracy prosecutions is threatening to derail the European Union's ambitious plans to revamp telecommunications legislation. A parliamentary proposal to turn Internet access into a fundamental human right is proving unacceptable to member states, with time fast running out for a deal to be struck before the parliamentary elections in June. Though intellectual property protection was not part of the original telecoms package, which is set to give Brussels the upper hand in scrutinizing phone operators, diplomats fear that failure to tackle the contentious issue could derail two years of negotiations. Framing Internet access as a human right would effectively scupper the entertainment industry's efforts to hamper illegal file sharing by threatening to cut off persistent copyright transgressors' Internet connections. EU diplomats painted the parliament's position as "extreme" and accused it privately of raising the issue to attract publicity ahead of the elections.