Mangaluru: The Indian Internet freedom could be mere for next 14 days,probably after which we Indian’s will start see lot’s of Al carte packs, The Indian End consumer will be burdened by expenses.This is just a small part of net neutrality. It’s a much bigger issue than this.Let’s put it this way, they probably wont but just as an example they may say, that if we want to access your website, we should give them extra 10 rupees as an additional pack.
Net Neutrality has been passed in the U.S. My intention in drafting this report just to bring an awareness and also to educate the “non tech savy” people to understand, how big issue is this. We need to Defend Internet Freedom in India! The internet’s success in fostering innovation, access to knowledge and freedom of speech is in large part due to the principle of net neutrality — the idea that internet service providers give their customers equal access to all lawful websites and services on the internet, without giving priority to any website over another.
Due to intense lobbying by telecom operators like Airtel and Vodafone, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is planning to allow them to block apps and websites to extort more money from consumers and businesses — an extreme violation of net neutrality. TRAI has released a consultation paper with 20 questions spread across 118 complicated pages and wants you to send them an e-mail by 24th of April, 2015.
Telecom operators/ISPs are access services providers, and can control either how much you access, what you access, how fast you access and how much you pay to access content and services on the Internet. It’s important for access to knowledge, services and free speech, as well as freedom and ease of doing business online, for this access to be neutral:
– All sites must be equally accessible
– The same access speed at the telco/ISP level for each (independent of telco selection)
– The same data cost for access to each site (per KB/MB).
This means, Net Neutrality is about:
– No telecom-style licensing of Internet companies (see this and this)
– No gateways (Internet.org, Airtel OneTouch Internet, Data VAS), censorshipor selection;
– No speeding up of specific websites (that may or may not pay telcos)
– No “zero rating” or making some sites free over others (and that goes for you too, Wikipedia and twitter).
The following letter was drafted by Tathagata Satpathy, Member of Parliament :
“Dear /r/India, I am making a sincere appeal to all involved not to turn this Net Neutrality (NN) issue into any kind of political blame-game. This NN issue is bigger than any of us, as individuals, although everyone will be affected by this personally. When I wrote that letter to the TRAI chairman, I was not taking a stand for my party, Biju Janata Dal. I was speaking in my personal capacity as a citizen, second as a netizen and only third as a people’s representative.
I would also like to make an appeal to other MPs through this medium. Do come out and support this issue, not as a part of a political party member but as a conscious citizen of this country. All responsible people must understand that this move by TRAI is something that will have tremendously adverse effects for the future. Many of us depend on the internet to do a lot of our work, so it is only correct that we safeguard the neutrality.
My experience says that an issue that resonates with young people, like this issue of a ‘Neutral Net’, tends to be picked up by political parties and made a mess of. Next we know, there could be TV debates about this subject and spokespersons from various parties will have a merry mud-slinging session.
I am so happy that many impartial netizens have taken up this issue with so much enthusiasm. I am heartened to see they all realize the gravity of the situation. All of us should remember one thing, acrimony with the establishment could damage the cause”
A free and open internet is the single greatest technology of our time, and control should not be at the mercy of corporations. A free and open internet stimulates ISP competition; A free and open internet helps prevent unfair pricing practices; A free and open internet promotes innovation; A free and open internet promotes the spread of ideas; A free and open internet drives entrepreneurship; free and open internet protects freedom of speech. Without an open internet, big corporations would have tight control over how we access websites and services. Please do your part to keep the internet a cornerstone of freedom and opportunity.
So let’s all join in fighting for net neutrality. Let’s remind TRAI that their job is to protect the rights of consumers, not the profit margins of telcos. Let’s demand access to the free, open internet.