Facebook Fighting for Free India Internet

On December 12, Trai floated a new consultation paper questioning differential data pricing for content services, although the paper does not specifically mention the term net neutrality.

TRAI, which has already ordered Free Basics to be put on hold, is now likely to finalise views on the issue of net neutrality by January-end. Trai Chairman R S Sharma in an interview with Business Standard on Wednesday said the consultation paper was not an opinion poll and the 1.4 million comments from Facebook’s users were in a standard template and language that did not answer queries in the paper.

According to official sources, comments received through Facebook or Free Basics platform are around 8 lakh.

Regardless of the motivation, it’s clear that Egypt has joined the Indian government, activists from Latin America, and net neutrality advocates in standing between Internet.org and those it wishes to reach with Free Basics. One way it’s doing that is through Free Basics, where it provides free access to a select group of Internet services and websites.

Facebook and other social media sites are extremely popular in Egypt, and were used to organize protests during the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Differential pricing violates principles of net neutrality, says a statement by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the largest representative body of Internet companies in India.

Telecom network operator Etisalat Egypt, a partner of Facebook in Egypt, has suspended the free internet service that it began providing two months ago, Engadget reported.

Facebook has been aggressively pushing a campaign where it is asking users to support its Free Basics scheme under which the user can access some websites without paying Internet charges. Ironically, Facebook feels the need to bundle its social network and messenger app with the Free Basics program.

The regulator has invited comments whether such plans should be allowed or not.

A letter has been served to Facebook seeking the company’s response on the ad complains which consumers feel is “misleading”, said Shweta Purandare, the secretary general of ASCI.

Free Basics has launched in 37 countries so far.

Zuckerberg says “certain basic services” are important for people’s well being in all societies, we have collections of free books in libraries, free basic healthcare.