 "Net neutrality: A timeline")
It is a topic that has left internet users divided over its functionality. While a section of service providers swears the intention is to reach the internet to a wider audience, several users are wary that the initiative seeks to impose curbs on their use of the internet. Here is how the developments that kicked off in February last year have now culminated into a poll seeking net users views on the feasibility of free access to certain websites on the web.
April 2015: Country’s largest player Bharti Airtel launches Airtel Zero, under which mobile users will not be charged for accessing certain applications. Start-ups/app makers can come onto the Airtel Zero platform, but due to public furore, the company has to withdraw the plan.
December 2015: Telecom regulator TRAI issues a consultation paper on differential pricing in data services by telecom players. The paper will decide the future of plans such as zero rated and Free Basics, earlier internet.org. Experts are saying these plans violate the principles of net neutrality, which says all internet-based services have to be treated equally, with no discrimination in terms of speed and cost of access. Though, some are in favour as it will bring the unconnected Indians onto internet platform. In the paper TRAI said -- Differential tariffs results in classification of subscribers based on the content they want to access (those who want to access non-participating content will be charged at a higher rate than those who want to access participating content). “This may potentially go against the principle of non-discriminatory tariff. The potential benefits and disadvantages of such practices have to be weighed in order to determine the regulatory approach.” The last date to submit comments was December 31, which was extended by a week till January 7.
December 2015: Facebook launched an aggressive campaign in the media promoting Free Basics. Even Facebook users were asked to send a mail to TRAI supporting the platform, which though will not be considered by the regulator as it was in a standard template form not answering the queries raised by TRAI. “It is not an opinion poll,” TRAI chairman R S Sharma had said on comments received from Facebook users and asked people to answer specific questions raised by them in the paper.
January 2016: About 2.4 million comments have been received by TRAI on its paper, out of which 1.8 million are from Facebook users. This is one of the highest number of comments ever received by TRAI on their paper. FACT BOX
According to Trai, there were about 300 million wireless internet subscribers in the country as on June. Out of this, about 207 million subscribers use 2G (GPRS, EDGE and CDMA-1X) networks to access internet, about 92 million subscribers use 3G (HSPA, WCDMA, EVDO) and rest are 4G LTE subscribers. The average data usage per data user for 2G service is 200 Mb per month and average data usage per data user for 3G is about 800 Mb per month.
- February 2015: Reliance Communications and Facebook announce launch of internet.org, which would offer RCom’s mobile users free access to certain websites with no data charges.
According to Trai, there were about 300 million wireless internet subscribers in the country as on June. Out of this, about 207 million subscribers use 2G (GPRS, EDGE and CDMA-1X) networks to access internet, about 92 million subscribers use 3G (HSPA, WCDMA, EVDO) and rest are 4G LTE subscribers. The average data usage per data user for 2G service is 200 Mb per month and average data usage per data user for 3G is about 800 Mb per month.