Trai to issue net neutrality norms soon

Hosts discussion on the issue

Batting for a free internet, net neutrality and consumer rights, Paytm founder and chief executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma said telecom operators should offer free internet between midnight to seven in the morning, instead of trying to judge what one should see on the web.

Sharma with representatives from consumer rights groups, telecom operators and sectoral bodies all took part in an open house discussion organised by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on the topic of a differential price for data services.

Sharma was the only major figure to himself be present at the discussion.Facebook, at the centre of the controversy on net neutrality, Airtel and Videocon all sent representatives. Sharma said entrepreneurs, service providers and companies wanted equal access to every consumer.

“Telecom operators have their own content services, messaging services and payment services. Once they will be asked to give somebody free internet service of their own choice, I can bet they will not let other companies’ service go free but will put their own service for free,” he said.

The regulator, which conducted an open house discussion on differential pricing for data, saw a lot of participation. Trai chairman R S Sharma said their recommendations on the issue would be out by the end of this month.

Asked if Trai would also come out with a consultation paper on net neutrality, he said they’d “take a call” on the suggestion.It had earlier attacked Facebook’s campaign for Free Basics. “Your urging (to Facebook consumers to lobby with Trai) has the flavour of reducing this meaningful consultative exercise, designed to produce informed decisions in a transparent manner, into a crudely majoritarian and orchestrated opinion poll,” it had told the social media giant.

“Neither the spirit nor the letter of a consultative process warrants such an interpretation, which, if accepted, has dangerous ramifications for policy-making in India,” Trai joint adviser K V Sebastian said in a letter dated January 18 to Ankhi Das, director of public policy at Facebook.

The regulator had earlier asked Reliance Communications to keep the commercial launch of FreeBasics on hold till it finalised  recommendations on the matter. However, when told the service was continuing, the Trai chairman said, “As far as we know, we had requested the  telecom company concerned to keep the commercial launch of the service in abeyance. They have confirmed (this)to us in writing.”

Telecom operators stressed that differential pricing for data is necessary for telecom growth,while net neutrality activists continue to oppose such a  regime, saying it would amount to curbs on freedom of choice to access the internet.