India has been waiting with bated breath for the government’s stance on net neutrality, and Ravi Shankar Prasad says we’re one step closer to hearing it. The Communications and IT Minister has announced that the telecom department is expecting the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) to submit its views and recommendations on the issue anytime now.
Following this, the government will be in a position to make a decision regarding one of the most hotly debated topics of 2015. Net neutrality protects the rights of consumers by ensuring that they get fair access to all websites or Internet-based applications, and are not forced by service providers to use any particular apps or portals.
Net neutrality also prevents bigger companies from stepping all over smaller ones. Take for example the case of Airtel Zero which proposed to allow free access to select websites and services to its subscribers. An entity that can afford to pay its way onto Airtel Zero by covering the data charges of those who visit their site through the platform, can easily gain more visibility than financially weaker competitors.
Facebook was accused of forgetting that it was once a startup which may not have become so popular if MySpace had been able to buy its way onto people’s devices through a platform like Internet org, an initiative for delivering free access to websites and apps willing to play by Zuckerberg’s rules. Will the Indian government be forced to ban Internet org if it comes out in support of net neutrality?
Also see: Facebook tricking users into supporting net neutrality-violating Internet org
As Economic Times reports, a committee of six members was put together in order to look into the matter in January this year. Stakeholders were requested to send in their comments on net neutrality and regulation of web-based apps like Skype, WhatsApp and Line. The TRAI was flooded with around 10 lakh mails, with most of them opposing the idea of permitting telecom companies to charge differential prices.
Now it’s up to the government to reveal whether it stands for the common man or not.