New Delhi: Amidst raging debate over net neutrality, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has made a committee to look into the issues of the matter. According to sources, the committee was formed in January 2015. A report has been sought by the 2nd week of May.
According to sources, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended to strive for non discriminate availability of Internet. They are said to have added that the Internet is the finest creation of mind and to become global it should have access to local.
As per sources, the committee comprises of six members including AK Bhargava, AK Mittal. The TRAI recommendations have been given to the telecom commission and will then it be handed over to the Telecom Ministry.
The Internet is under threat in India as telecom operators have gone to the TRAI to allow them to block apps and websites and charge money from both consumers and businesses to the detriment of users.
People from a cross section of society including politicians, who are not known for taking any kind of criticism lightly, and celebrities are rallying up to save the Indian Internet. Supporting the campaign to save net neutrality, thousands of Indians have voiced their support and the number is growing by the minute.
Indians have sent over 1 lakh emails to TRAI over the issue through the website savetheinternet.in. The emails have been sent in response to the regulator's call for public consultation. The scheduled government deadline for sending in feedback will lapse in a week.
The idea of net neutrality or free and equal Internet to all has garnered wide attention from across the globe.
While countries like the US, Chile, Netherlands and Brazil have already adopted Net Neutrality that doesn't allow discrimination of Internet content or charge users differently based on the content, site, or platform they consume, back home TRAI has also asked for mass feedback to help formulate regulations for consuming the Internet.
Though consumers appear to be majorly in favour of net neutrality, telecom companies are up in arms against the concept owing to the notion that bringing equality of Internet would cut down on their prospective revenue from the OTT services that are offered through their network, including apps such as WhatsApp, Flipkart, Skype, etc.
Net neutrality means when a service provider sells you data they don't get to choose how the data is used. The idea is that the Internet Service Provider, from whom you buy your internet pack, should not under any circumstance be able to control how exactly you use it. It is up to the consumer, how they wish to spend the data that they have bought from the Internet Service Provider.
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