Some big labor unions are backing a proposal to declare access to water and sanitation a human right.
The US first lady, who is on a week-long trip to the communist state with her daughters and mother, risked upsetting her hosts in Beijing by declaring access to information as a birthright.
On the other hand, he adds, declaring access to be a human right can be an important counterweight to the notion that public interests should be left to the free market.
And a few European countries have declared internet access to be a fundamental right of all citizens.
In 2000, when the government declared internet access to be a human right, the web spread into the boondocks.
The cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007, also launched from Russia, were more effective because Estonia's government relies far more heavily on the internet (its parliament declared internet access a human right in 2000).
The government has declared internet access a human right; citizens can vote, get medical prescriptions, deal with taxes and bank electronically and pay for parking with a mobile phone.
Michelle Obama has declared that access to the internet should be a universal right, in a rare and controversial foray into the world of international politics during a cultural visit to China.
It's virtually a year to the day since David Cameron declared that "access to the internet shouldn't be a luxury – it should be a right... we're going to bring fast broadband to every home and business that wants it".
