The Congress party has slammed recommendations made by the DoT panel on net neutrality, stating the restrictions placed on messaging apps like WhatsApp, Skype and Viber are anti-consumer. The report has suggested domestic VoIP calls made through such applications should be regulated.
In a statement given to PTI in New Delhi, party spokesman Salman Khurshid said the condition that consumers be able to access data-based apps without any interference from service providers won’t be met. He further claimed net neutrality was an issue of real democracy and should be supported.
Khurshid’s primary concern centers on the ambitions of people across the country who are trying to break out of the monopoly of big companies. He cites young citizens using the internet extensively and entrepreneurs trying to provide alternative options as the groups which will be unfairly affected.
While noting that a distinction has been made between local and international VoIP calls, Khurshid said the effort to try to control such services was neither healthy nor acceptable. He believed lobbyists from corporations had influenced the report to favor telecom companies.
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The DoT panel’s view on net neutrality suggests messaging and global calling using applications like WhatsApp should be allowed to continue. However, it wants domestic calls to be on a fairer playing ground, stating that it would be unfair to the growing telecom industry to cut off potential revenue.
If the regulation is implemented, it could possibly result in local and national VoIP calls being as expensive as regular ones. Much of India’s population still uses phones only for basic calling. Concern over competition from apps seems premature and stops the natural progression of services in the country.