CPI-M opposes violations of net neutrality

Supporting the ongoing struggle for net neutrality, the Communist Party of India-Marxist has opposed the efforts of telecom companies to violate it.

In a resolution passed at its ongoing 21st Congress, the party criticised the so-called consultation document published by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that supports the interests of telecom companies and internet monopolies against the people.

The resolution called upon the people to defeat attempts to violate net neutrality and limit people's access to the internet. It also urged the government and the regulator to define the internet as a public utility.

Net Neutrality is the principle in which all web-based services or websites have to be treated equally by the network operator (telecom companies). Otherwise, telecom companies can offer either a limited internet access consisting of only a few services and websites pretending it is the whole internet; or speed up or slow down the sites and services, based on who pays them and how much, the document noted.

A number of telecom companies such as Airtel, along with some internet companies, offer "special packages" bundling only a few websites and applications with their services, pretending that this limited internet is the whole internet, it said.

The resolution observed that such cartels between the telecom companies and a few global internet monopolies will lead to further concentration of economic power on the internet.