L'accesso a Internet e ai contenuti digitali quale viatico per il pluralismo informativo

Studying the role of the media in the process of Italian cultural unification, the Internet comes to light for its distinctive status: its relatively short life is, in effect, counterbalanced by an exceptional pervasivity and an impressive innovatory force. The attitude of the Web to facilitate the enjoyment of individual freedoms and democratic participation raises the question whether Net access should be considered a fundamental right and consequently protected by the Constitution. After having dealt with the questionable constitutionalization of the right to access the Internet and once showed the penetration of the medium in Italy, the essay dwells on the close matter of access to digital contents, which should be granted to any user with no restrictions at all. Then the article introduces the debate on Net neutrality and tries to demonstrate that an equal treatment of data packets flowing online is a necessary and sufficient condition for the defense of informative pluralism, naturally occurring on the Internet.