Net neutrality (also network neutrality, Internet neutrality,
or net
equality) is the principle that Internet
service providers and governments
should treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or
charging differentially
The
internet's success in fostering innovation, access to knowledge and freedom of
speech is in large part due to the principle of net neutrality — the idea that
internet service providers give their customers equal access to all lawful
websites and services on the internet, without giving priority to any website
over another.
Due to intense lobbying by telecom
operators like Airtel and Vodafone, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) is planning to allow them to block apps and websites to extort more
money from consumers and businesses — an extreme violation of net neutrality.
TRAI has released a Consultation paper with 20
questions spread across 118
complicated pages and
wants you to send them an e-mail by 24th of April, 2015.
As
the campaign goes on we come to know by the reports that in one of the biggest
online protests in India, Internet users have sent more than 1.5 lakh emails
over the weekend to the telecom regulator asking to protect network neutrality
in the country. "This is completely
unprecedented. We thought we'll get about 15000 emails in 10 days," said
Kiran Jonnalagadda, one of people behind the campaign.
In December 2014, Airtel had also
tried to introduce a plan to charge Internet telephony companies like Skype and
Whatsapp a higher tariff. However, the telecom operator withdrew the plan after
public outrage.
The
licence to violate net neutrality will mean telcos could now be in a position
to ensure some sites are served faster than others. It could also mean it
becomes costlier to use certain applications. Most importantly, it could
endanger the very feature of the Internet that has over the years made it
possible for countless start-ups, right from the Googles to the Flipkarts, to
dream and act big.So by rejecting net neutrality, which will enable telcos to
play the gatekeeper to a valuable resource, we will be shutting the door on the
entrepreneurial aspirations of millions. That’s because the only way for them
to compete with the big moneyed Internet players would be to match their spends
to make the Internet work for them. The absence of net neutrality will
definitely benefit the telcos while at the same time harming the market by
unleashing monopolistic tendencies. Telcos don’t want to be dumb pipes that
agnostically transfer data. The cost of their ambition will be the loss of the
Internet’s openness.
So we request you all to
spread the issue more and more and be the part of the protest to use the
freedom of internet.
SAVE THE INTERNET VOTE FOR NET NEUTRALITY.
