This AIB video on net neutrality will be pointless tomorrow (Watch)

With less than 24 hours to go before the government reveals its stance on net neutrality, comedy outfit AIB has posted an urgent message to the citizens of India via a YouTube video titled Save The Internet 2 – Judgement Day. Come August 15 and it will be too late to express your views about fair access to the web, on the MyGov website.

Net neutrality means the whole of the worldwide web must be equally accessible and that too, at the same speed. Secondly, people shouldn’t have to pay differently according to the sites they visit. If mobile operators are allowed to charge users based on the online portals they go to, big companies which depend on the Internet for their business can stamp out smaller ones by simply giving telecom brands cold hard cash to put their websites on a fast lane or a zero rating platform like the one Airtel withdrew.

A zero rating platform permits companies to cover their audience’s data costs. Imagine if Flipkart were to pay Airtel to let users access its site or mobile app for free. No one would go to any other e-commerce vendor. No startup with better products, prices or delivery services than Flipkart would be able to gain customers if they couldn’t cough up the entry fee to Airtel Zero. It would kill innovation by ensuring that only the big guns stay in business.

The funny thing is, the current government claims to be keen on pushing initiatives like Digital India, but seems shy about taking a firm stand against entities like Facebook, Airtel and Google, all known offenders of fair access to the Internet. As the AIB video points out, Mark Zuckerberg and telecom companies along with the COAI want to redefine net neutrality to include walled gardens consisting of businesses which can pay to stay on top.

The government hasn’t stated its policy on net neutrality yet. As far as the department of telecommunications is concerned, users should be forced to shell out extra money on top of data charges to make calls through web-based services like WhatsApp. This is why AIB is imploring everyone to fight for their Internet freedom by commenting on the issue through this MyGov page. If you choose to do nothing, don’t complain later should anti-net neutrality laws be passed.

On top of that, regulating services like WhatsApp, Viber, Skype and others could mean these companies would have to beg for approval from inept government-appointed employees. God save India if babus like the former income tax commissioner Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, are in charge of such permisions. See the video below, if you don’t know what we mean.