Few months earlier, whole India has discussed a topic Net Neutrality. This had been an issue which had got lot of acceptances and even objections. There have come thousands of emails from the Indian citizens in favour of Net Neutrality. Now the department of Telecommunications has asked for the last time your opinions on this issue.

As the deadline is being completing within 24 hours, they are asking more opinions. As the department is asking for the last time, telecom operators will be allowed to offer zero-rated services as per their own choice provided the services are approved by the govt. on a case-by-case basis. Without violating directly, such arguable statements are for corruption.

So please share your opinions and comments as soon as possible on this proposal as the deadline is completing on this Independence Day. Here are the steps to voice your opinion.

Step-1: Register on mygov.in here: https://mygov.in/user/register/

Step-2: Submit your responses here:

https://mygov.in/group-issue/give-your-comments-or-suggestions-recommendations-committee-net-neutrality/

Please go through below points which would help you to share opinion. Please use these only as a reference to phrase your own comment:

1. The DoT Report noted that a free and open Internet, available to all Indian citizens, is key to our country’s future. Despite that, telcos are already violating net neutrality and endangering that future. The Govt should pass regulation immediately to protect net neutrality in India – the status quo of mere promises is not enough. The Govt must commit to protecting net neutrality in law in India. Don’t take 5 years to decide this. Explanation regarding government process: While the regulatory process is being drawn out, telcos are already violating net neutrality in various ways. Our government must put an end to this.
2. Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING without discrimination. Don’t allow telecom operators to change the definition of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality means access to EVERYTHING on the Internet, without discrimination. Not access to everyone. We want everyone to get access, but to the entire Internet. Don’t allow creation of private walled gardens.
3. Don’t allow Zero Rating because Zero rating allows large companies to act as gatekeepers of the Internet, and control which services Indians can access, must be prohibited. The DoT draft recommendations are too weak on this, and the Govt must take a strong stand to protect users.
4. Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis because Zero rating will encroach upon the bandwidth meant for the open Internet, decreasing its speed and increasing its price. The Govt should ensure that licensed spectrum is exclusively used to give open internet access to consumers, and not to sell consumers to big internet companies. There should be a complete ban on zero rating, not case-by-case approval.
5. Don’t allow Zero Rating because Zero rating will enable well-funded Internet companies to purchase captive user bases, killing off smaller competitors and then increasing prices to recover the cost. It will decrease choice and harm consumers not only on the zero rating plans but also on the open Internet. The Govt should prohibit zero rating completely instead of giving approval on a case-by-case basis.
6. Don’t allow Zero Rating, not even on a case-by-case basis because Case-by-case approval of zero rating, as proposed in the report, is an invitation to lobbying and corruption. The government should make objective, unambiguous rules, not leave complex decisions affecting crores in profits to some corruptible bureaucrats. Remember that this is an industry that has already demonstrated that it has no qualms about paying huge bribes at the highest levels of government. Explanation regarding Zero Rating: Zero rating is telcos’ plan to split the Internet into two — the real one where telcos sell Internet access to consumers, and a “zero internet” where they sell consumers to big Internet companies. On these plans, all websites and apps except a handful will be blocked. This split damages the real Internet and affects everyone — not just those on zero plans.
7. Scrap the proposal to license VoIP apps as there should be no license-permit raj for the web. The Govt must not adopt regressive measures such as forcing licenses for Internet communication services or mobile apps. The proposal to license VoIP is completely against the consumer interest it will decrease choice, increase prices and stifle innovation.
8. No licensing of VoIP, the term “Regulatory Arbitrage” cannot hide the fact that DoT’s objective with VoIP licensing is to decrease choice and increase prices for consumers, in order to help certain telcos. It is very worrying that a government body, which is supposed to uphold consumer interest above all else, chooses instead to go against it.
9. We don’t want licensing of VoIP, the proposal to license domestic VoIP will prevent Indian startups from creating a wide range of communication, collaboration, gaming and social networking services that include voice, while startups everywhere else will continue to do so. This new license-permit raj will damage our country’s knowledge economy, just as the old one suffocated our industries.

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