Member in RS wants net neutrality

A Trinamool Congress member today raised in Rajya Sabha the demand for ensuring net neutrality in the country and safeguarding of the freedom and choice of equality on the internet.
Vivek Gupta (TMC) said government should safeguard the freedom and choice of equality on the internet, promote innovation and competition on the web.
"By restricting access to information and fair and free use of Internet, these operators, just because they want to make some money, are trying to manipulate and corrupt the system of licensed telecom operations in India," he said.
Referring to the consultation paper floated by TRAI, he said one cannot use it as its website is "always down" and those who were able to put across their veiws apprehend that they could be targeted and their emails hacked.

"If the government is serious in allowing this to happen, which I feel is a very, very bad idea, then why didn't they mention it in the spectrum auction that the telecom operators would be allowed to do this kind of monopolistic practices?
"The Prime Minister says that Skill India will come through Digital India. If this is the way, then we should rename it as 'Limited Digital India' because a non-neutral digital India will not serve the purpose," he said.
"When the TRAI is trying to endorse a foreign concept, we would request the Ministry of Telecommunication to instruct the TRAI to see the Indian sensitivities and then follow this kind of concept blindly," he said.

"This should be abhorred and discouraged and the net neutrality of the Telecom operators should be restored," he said.