The Internet has been one of the greatest inventions of mankind and though only a few decades old, it has grown in size exponentially, finding its way to the remotest of villages and the busiest of boardrooms. Technological advancements in the field of telecommunication and the fact that human beings are inherently an information-hungry species, have led to the internet's growth. Easy access has been one of the major factors which has appealed to the people and with a host of services and applications which can be availed for free, the Internet has become a powerful tool in the hands of the public. For a country like India, which has a sizable rural population, the Internet can play a very useful role by providing for easy access of information, banking facilities, connectivity with the rest of the country and most important of all, spreading awareness of their rights and the programs launched by the government. Apart from that, the average urban Indian is very well acquainted with the Internet and it can be said that the Internet has become a part of their daily lives. With mobile phones and tablets equipped with browsing applications, access to the internet has become all the more easier and hassle free.
The openness of the Internet has always appealed to its users. Anyone can access any site, page or information as long as it is legally available. This is where the term net-neutrality comes in. Net-neutrality has been defined as the guiding principle of the Internet among all the other definitions that exist. In simple terms, 'net-neutrality' refers to the equal availability of all content on the Internet not subjected to blocking or discrimination of certain content by the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) or the government. Indian telecom companies made a lot of money in the last two decades as more and more people used their services but now with the advent of applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube which make millions riding on their back, the telecom companies want to charge us differently. In simple words, the telecom companies want to charge the consumers more for over-the-top applications such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype etc. In making such a demand the telecom companies argue that they spend billions of dollars in setting up infrastructure and bring themselves under regulatory scrutiny while numerous applications ride on their backs for free. So is it really for them to decide for us which applications are free and which are to be charged?
First of all, ISPs are not the creators of the content on the Internet nor do they own the internet. Their services are required for accessing the Internet. As of now, if a person buys a data pack from a telco, it is totally upto him, how he spends it but with the demand for net-neutrality different applications and websites will be charged differently based on their popularity. Violating net-neutrality could also have adverse effects on start-ups. Many Internet giants like Google and YouTube had humble beginnings, with hardly any resources or capital. But innovative ideas and the openness of the Internet helped them grow to become success stories. Telecom companies, if given the power to violate net-neutrality will charge big companies like Google and YouTube to make their applications free on the Internet or priced at lower rates. On the contrary, start-ups which do not have enough capital will not be able to compete with big, established companies and their content will not be accessed by consumers owing to higher rates set by the ISPs.
The openness of the Internet has always appealed to its users. Anyone can access any site, page or information as long as it is legally available. This is where the term net-neutrality comes in. Net-neutrality has been defined as the guiding principle of the Internet among all the other definitions that exist. In simple terms, 'net-neutrality' refers to the equal availability of all content on the Internet not subjected to blocking or discrimination of certain content by the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) or the government. Indian telecom companies made a lot of money in the last two decades as more and more people used their services but now with the advent of applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube which make millions riding on their back, the telecom companies want to charge us differently. In simple words, the telecom companies want to charge the consumers more for over-the-top applications such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype etc. In making such a demand the telecom companies argue that they spend billions of dollars in setting up infrastructure and bring themselves under regulatory scrutiny while numerous applications ride on their backs for free. So is it really for them to decide for us which applications are free and which are to be charged?
First of all, ISPs are not the creators of the content on the Internet nor do they own the internet. Their services are required for accessing the Internet. As of now, if a person buys a data pack from a telco, it is totally upto him, how he spends it but with the demand for net-neutrality different applications and websites will be charged differently based on their popularity. Violating net-neutrality could also have adverse effects on start-ups. Many Internet giants like Google and YouTube had humble beginnings, with hardly any resources or capital. But innovative ideas and the openness of the Internet helped them grow to become success stories. Telecom companies, if given the power to violate net-neutrality will charge big companies like Google and YouTube to make their applications free on the Internet or priced at lower rates. On the contrary, start-ups which do not have enough capital will not be able to compete with big, established companies and their content will not be accessed by consumers owing to higher rates set by the ISPs.
The TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has released a 117 page document listing the reasons why telecom companies should be allowed to break net-neutrality and also asked for the opinion of the general public to help take a decision. You can mail your views at 'advqos@trai.gov.in'. It must be noted that the US, Chile, Netherlands and Brazil have already ruled in the favour of net-neutrality. The Internet is a very valuable resource and laws should be made to ensure that the ISPs do not monopolise the Internet or discriminate between applications so as to reap profits.
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