Joining the list of internet activists and netizens protesting against Facebook's Free Basics initiative, BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda shot off a letter to RS Sharma, the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with his comments on the consultation paper put out by TRAI.
Stating that the "pursuit of net neutrality is an important one for our country," he goes on to add that "the internet has the ability to be a ubiquitous communications networks and transform the lives of hundreds of poor Indians. However, the revolutionary power of the internet is dependent to a large extent on its inherent egalitarianism, where every user has the ability to access every part of it."
This reply came ahead of the deadline of TRAI’s second round of consultation on certain questions around Net Neutrality in India.
For the past few weeks, Facebook users across India have received a notification informing them that many of their friends have sent a message to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) asking them to support “Free Basics in India”.
The move by Facebook has been heavily criticized as activists claim that Free Basics violates net neutrality.
Regarding the method used to by Facebook to garner support for its initiative, the MP also said:
There is one more issue that should be considered under consultation. Very recently, Facebook has been encouraging its users to send a standard response on the click of a button to TRAI, in support of Free Basics. However, it has been reported that this mechanism can be misleading. Facebook's move has been criticized on the ground that it might be resulting in people supporting Free Basics without realizing the implications for net neutrality. Hence, the volume of submissions in support of Free Basics should be assessed by TRAI with prudence
Visit 'Save the internet' to send your email supporting net neutrality.