Differential pricing violates net neutrality, says IAMAI

Facebook’s Egypt partner, telecom carrier Etisalat Egypt, made Free Basics available in Egypt two months ago.

Facebook, however, hopes to “resolve this situation soon”.

“TRAI should not reject any proposal that offers free services to general public including the one being offered by Facebook under the brand “Free Basics”, Telecom Watchdog in its comment over TRAI’s “Consultation Paper on Differential Pricing for Data Services”. The program was being used by over 3 million Egyptians.

“Free Basics and its peer telecom operator models are not open, plural or diverse, and can be harmful for India’s democracy”, Nikhil Pahwa, net neutrality campaigner, said in a published statement. IAMAI also counts Facebook as a member, which has been at the centre of the storm brewing around net neutrality, and has been slammed for driving a campaign supporting its “Free Basics” programme, which is seen as violating net neutrality. In India, opponents have argued that the service violates principles of net neutrality.

Users, however, must be Reliance Communications customers, and are limited to a range of portals found within the application: Wikipedia, job listing sites, select weather, sports, and news outlets, and, naturally, Facebook and Facebook Messenger.

According to media reports, the regulator has received about 1.65 million comments, the highest ever on any paper floated by TRAI till date.

Zuckerberg has previously denied the scheme compromises net neutrality, especially following protests against the scheme in countries such as India. They have been running full-page advertisements on Indian newspapers and have also asked their Indian users to support digital equality and support their fight against those wanting to stop their initiative of providing free Internet to all.

The program, launched in more than 35 developing countries around the world, offers pared-down web services on mobile phones, along with access to the company’s own social network and messaging services, without charge.

But the government has pulled the plug on Egyptians’ access to the Internet before. “That’s why more than 30 countries have recognized Free Basics as a program consistent with net neutrality and good for consumers”.