TRAI receives 18.72 lakh responses on net neutrality -Governance Now

TRAI receives 18.72 lakh responses on net neutrality

14 lakh respondents to get another chance to respond “question by question” to the regulator’s consultation paper on differential pricing for data services

Pratap Vikram Singh | December 31, 2015 | New Delhi

The telecom regulatory authority of India (TRAI) has so far received 18.72 lakh responses to its consultation paper on differential pricing for data services. However, a majority of these responses –around 14 lakh – did not provide any answer to the questions posed by the regulator, and supported Free Basics.

Around 8.9 lakh responses were sent through cell phones. Since most of the responses did not answer the questions posed by the TRAI, these responses are of no use to the regulator. According to TRAI, over 3.8 lakh people have sent email in support of netneutrality.

RS Sharma, chairman, TRAI, said that the regulatory authority will not reject the 14 lakh responses favouring free basics and will give a “fair chance” to the respondents to rectify the error and send their answers “question by question”. The regulator had sought public feedback on four questions.

It is important to note that Facebook has launched a multi-media campaign to build the case in favour of its Free Basic – its revised version of the earlier internet.org initiative that was shelved amidst protest by the users. Beside its mega TV and full page newspaper advertisements, Facebook is also prompting its users through notifications asking them to send a message to TRAI in support of digital equality.

Its online campaign enables Facebook users in India to send a pre-written email to the TRAI with the subject “I Support Free Basics in India.”

Experts argue that the term ‘free’ in ‘free basics’ is a marketing gimmick that is camouflaged behind the keywords of like ‘free’ and ‘equality’ to wrongly motivate users to sign the Facebook campaign.

READ: Facebook's Free Basics is deeply flawed: Joint statement by IIT and IIS faculty members

“These voices should be heard,” said Sharma adding that in cases where the regulator has email IDs of the respondents, TRAI will send an email to those respondents and ask them to re-submit their responses along with justifications again. Though in cases where the regulator just has mobile numbers it still has to figure out a way to reach those respondents.

The final decision in this issue will be taken by TRAI by the end of January, till then it has asked Reliance – the sole telecom partner of Facebook in India – to put Free Basics on hold.

Sharma further said that in the coming days the regulator will decide upon the broader policy steps on net neutrality.

Comments

Other News

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said. He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi

New pathways for tourism growth

Traditionally, India’s tourism policy has been based on three main components: the number of visitors, building tourist attractions and providing facilities for tourists. Due to the increase in climate-related issues and environmental destruction that occurred over previous years, policymakers have b