In it together

Why was the Press Information Bureau (PIB) stage-managing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) conference on net neutrality on Monday? In all likelihood, the controversy surrounding the issue and the war of words between the telecom regulator and Facebook over its Free Basics idea - even the Prime Minister's Office got involved at one point - were the triggers. This was the first time since Chairman R S Sharma took over the reins last year that a Trai conference was organised - or shall we say orchestrated? - by the government's communication gateway! When was the last time the media briefing for an independent regulator was organised by the PIB?