Subject: Net Neutrality
From: Bharath Chandra
Date: 31-Mar-15 7:59 PM
To: advqos@trai.gov.in

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

This mail is a reply to some questions posed by TRAI on net neutrality. I do hope that this makes a small difference in your decision. 

Answer to Q1: It is too early to establish a framework for OTT services. OTT services should not be charged. We need to realize that whatsapp, and viber have become the quickest way to reach anyone. WhatsApp has close to 1/6th of its users in India. This will not only drop drastically (when services are charged), but also will give a way for Telcos to make more money. 
Whom will the additional revenue  benefit? The government? No! 
Example is when telcos did not have a rapid response to resume services in storm hit areas of Andhra Pradesh. It caused a huge inconvenience for the state in evacuation and aid process. 
Just because there is an opportunity to make money, does not mean that the government should allow corporations to make money.  Companies will just become like cable operators. Choose your plan, choose your channel...!!! 

Question 2: Not qualified to answer this question. However, I would like to say that once anything is under licensing regime, then there is an additional expense Bourne by the company which will transferred in a way to the customer. 

Question 3: Growth of OTT is not impacting the revenues stream of TSPs. How? OTT requires data, and data plans are not cheap. OTTs in a way has required people to depend more on data. There used to be a time when customers used to go for messaging pack. Now the same has shifted towards internet pack. Internet packs are more expensive than the traditional calling and messaging packs.

To answer the rest of the question requires patience, and a inside look in to telecoms. This means, that I will need to become an expert in this area. Alas, I am no expert, and I really am not a researcher to complete this paper. 

This mail was to voice my concern against disrupting the net neutrality that currently exist.  Corporations need to make money. I agree on that. However, please to do realize that there is a limit in what the common man can afford. Common man cannot afford additional usage charges. For a common man, internet is common. We are now in a world where internet is embedded in our systems. Try to remove it, and we might feel like we are in the dark ages. 

This mail was just a thought from my end. There is still a long way to go before companies need to start charging us for OTT services. Let them first ramp up their infrastructure, let them improve their customer service. Let them demonstrate that even though they make money, they will also look out for the betterment of this country. 

Warm Regards,
Bharath