Subject: Net neutrality
From: Desiree
Date: 07-Apr-15 3:28 PM
To: "=?utf-8?Q?advqos@trai.gov.in?=" <advqos@trai.gov.in>

Dear TRAI,

I am writing to express my concern against the actions to restrict fair access to the internet. I believe that this is anti-constitutional and does not abide by any notions of India being a democratic country as it in effect concentrates power in the hands of a few big telecom companies. Further, the very nature of technology is that old business models become obsolete. Rather than themselves innovating or funding new, small businesses, their resorting to government regulation is a cowardly move afforded by huge giants in the industry.

The internet is a vital resource to me as a citizen to communicate, work, and thrive in the 21st century. If telecom operators can discriminate internet traffic on the basis of which services pay the most, we are allowing telcos control over a vital and necessary technological resource. By doing so we allow them to define what information we can view; what entertainment we can access; and how companies can innovate. If at all the government should intervene, it should regulate spectrum licensing auctions so that the matter is solved between the government and telecoms without the end consumer having to bear the costs.

This is completely unfair and harms India's long term role in the global market. Especially now in the age of a booming tech startup ecosystem, legislation like this affects valuations and dampens innovation. In the words of Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, “If we don’t explicitly outlaw this (when one internet operator favours one particular service over another), we hand immense power to telcos and online service operators.” Telecoms should not have control over the flow of content as they were never responsible for its creation. Given this control, it reduces efficiency as telecoms concentrate on maximizing profits from different sources of content rather than concentrating on improving universal delivery.

I strongly believe the growth of telecoms and the well-being of the internet can go hand-in-hand. I'm asking for a framework to ensure long term and fair access for all services regardless of size. I want my generation and those that come after me to have unfettered access to the Internet, with no telcos or ISPs having the ability to charge for specific services I use on top of it. Please understand that the internet is an important resource and vital to me and to every other Indian citizen. I would like to see it kept free and protected under Net Neutrality to ensure fair and equal access for all and forever.

In summary, if this does pass, sure telecoms have a lot to gain. This however will be very short lived. While companies like Google with Project Loon plan to bring free internet to the world, telecoms, and all the tax revenues the government stands to get from this business, will then die a more painful death, while we all rejoice at its demise.

Best,
Desiree.