Hello TRAI,
I am writing to you about the net neutrality issue for which you have been demanding comments from the general public as well. We live in an age whose backbone is computers and internet. It is unthinkable of progress being made without the use of those basic facilities. As more and more people seek to uplift themselves with the help of these powerful instruments of knowledge and progress, it becomes increasingly vital that these instruments be protected for the good of the people and their reigns be not handed over to corporates looking to earn only profits. Internet should be a public utility that should not be a privilege of the ones who pay a lot more money than the others. In this age, the internet is as important as education.
Net Neutrality ensures that the internet gets used freely without discrimination of purpose and remains a free and democratic technology. A neutral internet is essential for unfettered access to resources online.
1) Privacy is an important issue that should not be ignored. Regulation by the infrastructure providers would mean inspection of the data inside IP packets. This would be a violation of privacy. This greatly endangers Freedom of Speech which is provided by the Article 19 of the Constitution of India. This violation of privacy also means that the infrastructure providers will have illegal access to our data. I own that data and only me and the parties I authorize should have knowledge about it. As such, infrastructure providers can have opportunities of wrongdoings.
2) Net Neutrality is a democratic concept and ensures equal opportunity for all. If infrastructure providers are allowed to regulate the internet, then in order to maximize their business profits and favour their business interests, they will be throttling access to websites, services, business and contents of their competitors. This includes big rival conglomerates as well as small new entrants. This is undemocratic and will only stifle innovation and progress. The common man is the one who is at loss here.
3) The argument that infrastructure providers are facing losses due to non-regulation is full of holes. The whole world is moving to the internet. As such, our communication with the world through the internet is of order of several magnitudes higher than through the fairly traditional methods of telephony and SMS. Infrastructure providers stand to earn several magnitudes more through their services of internet than telephony and SMS.
4) Having net neutrality will make the infrastructure providers invest more into internet infrastructure. This can only be good for the country as more and more people would get access to the internet ensuring more progress. The Government of India has been on a long term drive to provide its services through the internet reaping its benefits of being a fast, secure, efficient and convenient medium of doing business and administration. Thus the investment in internet infrastructure and fair democratic access to the internet is the way to go forward for the Government of India and Indian people.
5) Several influential countries like USA, a majority of countries in Europe have voted in favour of net neutrality. It is not for nothing that these countries have opted to do so. Looking into the future, this is the way to protect the interest of the people.
6) Tim Berners Lee, the creator of World Wide Web (WWW) is in favour of net neutrality. You can read what he said here (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/tim-berners-lee-web-creator-defends-net-neutrality/).
Vint Cerf, co-creator of the Internet Protocol (IP) has strongly championed for net neutrality. You can read it here (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/vint-cerf-speaks-out-on-net-neutrality.html)
Barack Obama, President of United States, has championed for net-neutrality. United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled in favour of Net Neutrality and adopted strong rules to protect the free and open internet.
Here is their ruling (http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db0226/DOC-332260A1.pdf).
It is imperative that India also moves to protect the free, open and democratic internet in the interest of the nation and her people.
Concerned Indian in Favour of Net Neutrality
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