In support of net neutrality

Hello All,

This is with regards to the consultation paper, and I must say we should support net neutrality. The gist of my argument is present in the following email I had sent when Airtel tried to violate this, but I'll reiterate.

As a nation we've seen what happens when competition is restricted and innovation is stifled. We were stagnant for 40 years. We were brought on the brink of bankruptcy.

But then we opened our markets, and the great Indian economic miracle happened.

So we know what happens when a license raj is introduced. Why are we even thinking of making the same mistake again? What is the need for a digital raj now?

Our esteemed PM wanted to know why there was no Google from India till now. Why are we trying to stop any future Indian startups as well?

Calling things like Skype and Whatsapp 'Over The Top' itself is incorrect, since they are simply using the same internet as emails or websites. They shouldn't be distinguished. They use the same net as the rest of them.

The same companies crying foul over lost revenue are the ones that benefited because they were allowed to compete with the government telephone company years back. The government lost revenue due to them, but the telecom market is so much more better now because of it. They should be innovating instead of trying to stifle growth. They should be providing a better, faster internet to support these services.

We right now have the slowest average internet in Asia - http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/akamai-indias-1-4mbps-speed-places-last-spot-asia-pacific-region-217224.html

Why is that? Why is a country as big as India, having such bad, slow net? Where are the internet providers now? And, most importantly, if they are having such a loss of revenue due to the so-called OTT services, how are they still making massive profits??:

1. Bharti Airtel Q4 net profit surges by 89% to Rs 962 crore, meets estimates

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/earnings/bharti-airtel-q4-net-profit-surges-by-89-to-rs-962-crore-meets-estimates/articleshow/34377858.cms

2. Vodafone India service revenue up 11.7% in first half of FY15

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/vodafone-india-service-revenue-up-11-7-in-first-half-of-fy15-114111101083_1.html

3. Idea Cellular posts 64 pct profit rise as subscriber numbers grow

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/idea-cellular-results-idINKBN0L017F20150127

Let's not assume things will get any better if the internet is restricted. It will only worsen.

We must stop any attempt at to divide the internet and stop growth. We must instead be following the footsteps of another developing nation, Brazil - http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/26/brazil-internet-constitution.html

Because innovation is the only way forward.

A concerned citizen,

Shashank

Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." - H. G. Wells

On 27 December 2014 at 12:53, Shanx <shanxt@gmail.com> wrote:

Namashkar Shri Ravi Shankar Prasadji,

I wish to congratulate and thank you on the quick response you've given regarding Airtel's move to charge for VoIP.

Airtel is violating Net Neutrality and it concerns me that this may be the first step towards a more restricted internet. At a very basic level there really is no difference in the data being sent, and it definitely doesn't cost Airtel any extra over its normal broadband costs. On the other hand, we are paying twice - first for the 3g data connection, and then for using a particular service over that connection. This is nothing but daylight robbery. This is similar to the electricity company charging me more for the CFL bulbs in my house, because the company makes less money.

It also just goes to show that instead of competing fairly, Airtel would rather restrict technological progress. Imagine if a similar move was made during the 90s to ban mobile phones, because landlines couldn't compete, or each email would be charged ₹10 by the post office. Where would we be now?

And India especially knows the results of anti-competitive behaviour. There's a reason why we only had the Ambassador and 800 on roads for decades, while the rest of the world had moved on. We must not let that happen again.

Airtel has to learn to evolve and grow with progress, instead of stifling it.

I have great faith in the new BJP government, due to its technology and growth-focused agenda. Please support net neutrality, as it is one of the most basic foundations the internet was found on. Without it, companies like google wouldn't be possible.

Our country should encourage innovation, instead of allowing companies to arbitrarily limit it.

Sincerely,
Shashank Shekhar Tewari