Facebook CEO defends effort to expand Internet access

“Free Basics (the new name for Internet.org) users will primarily get access to Facebook and its partners and this effectively discourages usage of the open web”, Pahwa said, pointing out that internet penetration has increased dramatically in the past six months alone – rising by 52 million new users according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India. Areas with access to the facility have seen more people coming online in India. Not surprisingly subsequently, Zuckerberg’s newest statements have been questioned. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a plan for that.

We thanks on your current go to and your continued curiosity in India.

“We are trying to aid availability by streaming the internet via satellites”.

“India is home to the third largest internet user population (300 million) in the world, yet paradoxically, it also hosts the largest unconnected population (one billion) to the internet”, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was in India for a townhall at IIT-Delhi, kickstarted his trip by visiting the Taj Mahal. He said limiting content on the Free Basics platform was necessary, because “you can not provide the whole Internet for free”. He said Facebook had other priorities, but that since it’s now clear this is a top concern for users, the company is going to prioritize the matter.

The first thing I say is that we can look at the efforts we have had with Internet.org.

“Our mission is to connect everyone in the world”, Zuckerberg said during the Delhi Town Hall. In the future, he saw Facebook as the Internet and the Internet as Facebook.

He said Facebook’s willingness to listen to the debate in India, and make changes was in contrast to the call drops controversy were service providers were still in denial. This is keeping in mind the choice of the ‘.com’ URL for FreeBasics.com, as opposed to a ‘.org’ for Internet.org.

You’ve additionally steered that common entry is extra essential than net neutrality, and that there’s a risk of taking net neutrality ‘too far’. “Do I support Net Neutrality?”

– The Mozilla Foundation runs a program with Grameenphone, where users get free data in exchange for watching an advertisement.

– The Mozilla Foundation additionally runs a program with Orange in Africa, the place those that buy a $ 37 handset get 500 MB of free knowledge.

– There are data cashback schemes such as Gigato offer data for free, for surfing a few sites. However, he did not give a time frame on when the company will roll out the new feature.

Therefore, one doesn’t have to select between common entry and net neutrality.

The question that begs to be asked is: Do the people who need connectivity deserve to get a stripped down “Internet” that Facebook regulates, or the real one that is unregulated?

Internet.org was founded in 2013 year and brought to India in February of this year.

Facebook, along with its intentions to connection billions to the internet, should support and advocate for net neutrality and permissionless innovation in India, the way it has done in the US.

We need to focus on growing the pie, not splitting the pie.

Entrepreneurship: The chief executive, who is a role model for many techies, when asked about the entrepreneurs in India said that Facebook was doing its best to provide low cost tools to entrepreneurs here.