Dear Sir,

I am writing this letter 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 for millions of citizens across the country. If telecom operators are allowed to discriminate internet traffic on the basis of which services pay the most then we open the flood gates and allow telecom companies control over a vital and necessary technological resource. This in turn gives them the power to control resources related to information, entertainment and innovation.

This policy is completely unjust and will harm India’s long term economic growth and place in the global economy. I strongly believe the growth of telecoms and the well-being of the internet can go hand-in-hand. There is a need for a policy framework that can ensure long term and fair access for all services regardless of their size and nature. All Indians deserve unfettered access to the Internet without intermediaries like telecom companies or Internet Service Providers (ISP) having the right to charge for specific services used through bandwidth which has already been paid for. After all a byte of data is the same whether it is being used for applications like WhatsApp or Facebook. 

The internet is an important resource and a public good critical for the social and economic development of India. It is important that it be kept free and protected through the principles of Net Neutrality to ensure fair, equitable, just and sustainable access to all citizens in the realization of their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Warm Regards,

Aditya Verghese