Is there anything like a free lunch in today’s world? That seems to be at the heart of the ongoing debate on Net Neutrality.
Cleartrip is the latest Indian partner to pull out of Internet.org, a Facebook-led initiative to promote Internet access across the world. Flipkart, NDTV, Newshunt and the Times Group have already pulled out. Others are expected to follow suit.
While the global debate on Net Neutrality or ensuring a level playing field for everyone on the Internet has been raging for a while especially in the US, two recent incidents bought it home to roost in India: Airtel Zero and Internet.org.
Internet.org began life as a partnership between Facebook and seven global mobile phone companies. Inspired by its founder Mark Zuckerberg’s famous proclamation that “connectivity is a human right” the idea was to provide affordable Internet access to everyone across the globe, irrespective of whether they could pay for it or not. Previously Facebook Zero and Google’s Project Loon had attempted it, but this time around the scale was much grander.
In India, Facebook’s partner Reliance launched an app with great fanfare early this year. The internet.org app enabled anyone to access 39 basic services on the Internet, free of cost. It was hailed – especially by telecom companies like Airtel, Reliance who double up as Internet providers in India – as a great social initiative; a leveler bringing Internet to the millions who cannot afford to pay for it.
Airtel Zero similarly promised free access to net apps, the data charges for which are borne by the app companies.
So why have 4,00,000 petitions been filed protesting against what seems like a noble and even charitable cause? Net Neutrality advocates say it is a business model, not a charity. It discriminates against companies and services that are not on Reliance or Airtel’s privileged list by forcing them to pay in order to reach the consumer.
The consumer is also disadvantaged, because she has no say in the bouquet of services that interests her, as it can be altered at will by the provider. Instead of making the net freely available (as it claims to be doing) it is biased in favour of those with deep-pockets over the innovative and creative; the bedrock on which Internet was created.
So, is what Reliance and Airtel doing similar to AT& T’s ‘sponsored data’ drive in the US? Recently, the US Federal Communication Council came out with a Title II reclassification and ruling which found AT&T’s campaign to be a form of ‘paid prioritization’ as reported by The Verge.
Developed markets treat Internet service providers at par with other common carriers like phone companies. Enough safeguards are being put into place to ensure that all Internet traffic get equal rights and the end-user is protected.
But what about countries like India? Aren’t telcos like Airtel and Reliance doing a favour by taking Internet to the masses? How is it a bad thing? Sure, they are getting preferential access and the principle of Net Neutrality is being violated. But isn’t it a bit naïve to expect companies to spend millions in seeding the markets without expecting to commercially reap the fruits?
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, “For people who are not on the Internet, though, having some connectivity and some ability to share is always much better than having no ability to connect and share at all. That’s why programs like Internet.org are important and can co-exist with net-neutrality regulations.”
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Related Links
What is Net Neutrality and How It Will Change Your World
#FreeTheNet: Decoding TRAI’s 20 Questions on Net Neutrality