Hello

 

I wish to bring to your attention about Net Neutrality in India which is under threat today.

 

Airtel, the leading internet service provider in India and a global player, has recently launched a mobile data plan called as "Airtel Zero". This plan offers free access to certain websites. The cost to customer will be zero to access these websites and the respective websites will pay to Airtel, for each such use.

 

I am writing to you as a end user of mobile services. While such a plan appears lucrative to me as the end customer, the very freedom to access the Internet is under threat where charges are being raised for specific websites.

 

I wish to bring to your attention that the very basis of Internet is the naturally available Spectrum which is a public resource. Spectrum is the basis for data. Internet Service providers bid for spectrum to provide the mobile services. Indirectly, companies buy data and should sell data. Service providers can only charge the customers the data after considering the costs of making that data spectrum available to customers. Allowing selective access of data or pricing data differently for different websites is completely against the natural justice to the data-users.

 

Such selective pricing is against those who cannot afford to pay the Telcos for each use. Such plans will hurt growth and hurt innovation. India is growing, and it needs not one but 1 lakh websites to cater to 7 billion people of the world. Such pricing will favour those who have money and hurt those who aspire to be there.

 

The world over, Net Nutrality is being discussed aggressively. Netherlands has passed a law favorung Net Neutrality. Other countries like United States are already contemplating to frame a similar law.

 

I therefore request you to consider my plea and abolish introduction of "Airtel Zero" plan and similar such plans in future.

 

Thanks and Regards

 

Kartikeya Khanna