Subject: TRAI's consultation paper (number 2/2015) on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services / Internet services and Net Neutrality
From: Gerald Roche
Date: 07-Apr-15 2:15 PM
To: advqos@trai.gov.in

Dear Sir,

If Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose wanted to patent his discovery, he could have. Instead he decided that his learning should benefit mankind.

Similarly, if Tim Berners Lee wanted to commercially exploit the internet he could have, he chose not to and the world is richer for it.

I am going to keep it short but to point. Net Neutrality is required in this world and more so in India where protectionism and other barriers have led to complacency and lack of innovation, leading to Indian companies being unable to compete on a global scale.

E.g. Ambassador (Hindustan Motors), Premier Auto Ltd, Tata Oil Mills Co., MTNL, etc.  Only by innovating has a company like Mahindra & Mahindra remained relevant in this generation.

I am writing to express my concern against the actions that telecom carriers are taking to restrict fair access to the internet (Net Neutrality). I believe the internet is a vital resource - it helps me communicate, work, and thrive as a citizen. 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.

This is completely unfair and harms India's long term role in the global market. 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. 

We have already seen how inequality in other areas has led to the devastation of the current generations job prospects. 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.

Regards,

Gerald Roche.