Dear TRAI,

As a customer and a citizen of India, I strongly support net neutrality and am against differential pricing/speeds.

It seems ridiculous that telecom companies are even considering this. These are clearly anti-consumer practices that will allow telecom companies to make more money and kill services they don’t like (VoIP – Skype, WhatsApp, etc). What is more frightening is the fact that TRAI is not quashing this petition from telecom companies at the very start.

There are simple analogies which clearly indicate how absurd differential pricing is:

Water: Water comes to my tap through a service provider. Now, if I use that water to have a bath or wash my clothes or to drink in my nibu paani — what business is it of the service provider? Will he charge me more for washing my clothes vs having a bath? No! He charges me for the amount of water I’ve used; not for what purpose I use it for!

Electricity: I have electricity in my house in various sockets provided by BSNL. Now if I use that electricity to light up a lamp or charge my mobile phone or watch TV, it is no business of the service provider. I will pay for what I use — and not be discriminated because of the products I use.

Petrol: I buy petrol from Indian Oil. Now if I use petrol to fill a motorbike or a Maruti 800 or a Maruti Swift, it is of no business of Indian Oil. I will pay per liter. Not pay more or less because I have a bike or a car!

Differential speed is even more dangerous: telecom companies can throttle websites and freedom of speech without any repercussions. This is a very dangerous power to give to any private company.

I urge you, esteemed members of TRAI, to please allow net neutrality to prevail! It is a democracy after all.

Thank you