One of the hottest topics trending right now, Net Neutrality has triggered open debate among the various strata of the society. It means that equal treatment should be given to all Internet traffic with no priority to any person or entity or company based on payment.
Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday that a six-member committee had been set up comprising Telecom Ministry officials to examine various aspects of Net Neutrality. The said panel would then submit its report by the second week of May.
“Internet to become entirely global should have a link to local and when we talk of digital inclusion it must be available to the underprivileged and on the margins,” Ravi Shankar said.
Net Neutrality has been a global issue for a long time, but has recently gained traction in India which was triggered when the country’s largest operator Airtel started charging customers for VoIP services, such as Skype and Viber with new plans which were announced in December.
Another initiative by the telco called – Airtel Zero, allows customers to access a variety of mobile applications for free with the data charges being paid by start-ups and large companies – which is considered to be against the principle of Net Neutrality.
Telecom regulator TRAI came out with a consultation paper recently inviting user comments on the subject. The response to this was overwhelming, as more than one lakh emails were sent to the authorities from people with diverse background but the same motive of promoting – equality.
One of the first to join Airtel Zero,Flipkart received a lot of flak for supporting it, with its CEO Sachin Bansal later clarifying that he is not against Net Neutrality and pulled out from the Airtel Zero plan.
With 24 April being the deadline for suggestions and advice around Net Neutrality, people of India are slowly but steadily realising the gravity of the situation and are taking proactive steps in reaching out to the ministry with their pleas and thoughts.