Tuesday, November 5

Tag: net neutrality

Trai Issues Pre-Consultation Paper on Net Neutrality
31May By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments
INDIA

Trai Issues Pre-Consultation Paper on Net Neutrality

Telecom regulator Trai today issued pre-consultation paper on net neutrality, a topic that had kicked up dust earlier this year over platforms like Facebooks Free Basics and Airtel Zero as well as attempts to charge certain Internet services, including calls. Seeking to put in place an overall framework for Internet usage in the country, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said: "This pre-consultation paper is an attempt to identify the relevant issues in these areas, which will help Trai in formulating its views on the way forward for policy or regulatory intervention." There has been a conflict between telecom operators, Internet companies and consumers interest on the issue of net neutrality. While all the three major stakeholders - telecom operators, Internet compani...
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Net Neutrality: Facebook Shuts Free Basics Programme in India
11Feb By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments
News

Net Neutrality: Facebook Shuts Free Basics Programme in India

New Delhi: In a boost to net neutrality, Facebook has decided to shut down its controversial 'Free Basics' programme in India, following telecom regulator Trai's move to bar operators from charging different rates for Internet access based on content. Facebook had met with severe criticism for its programme, which aimed at providing basic Internet access to people in partnership with telecom operators. Critics saw this as violation of the principle of net neutrality that states that entire Internet should be available to everyone on equal terms as Free Basics allowed access to selected websites. "Free Basics is no longer available to people in India," a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed response. The service was available in India with Reliance Communications. In Decembe...
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Facebook director Andreessen sorry for India Internet remarks
11Feb By reutersNo Comments
News

Facebook director Andreessen sorry for India Internet remarks

Marc Andreessen, a prominent venture capitalist and Facebook Inc board director, apologised on Wednesday for tweets that condemned the Indian government for banning the social media company's free Internet service. India introduced rules on Monday preventing Internet service providers from having different pricing policies for accessing different parts of the Web, effectively dismantling Facebook's Free Basics programme, which offers a pared-back version of Internet service. Andreessen, who often takes to Twitter to offer his opinions, said the new rules denied India's poor access to the Internet. Only 252 million out of India's 1.3 billion people have Internet access. "Denying world's poorest free partial Internet connectivity when today they have none, for ideological reasons, s...
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RIP Facebook Free Basics, TRAI Supports Net Neutrality
8Feb By PriyankaNo Comments
News

RIP Facebook Free Basics, TRAI Supports Net Neutrality

Indian Entrepreneurs will be too happy this time. Reason? Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), has finally put to rest the differential pricing debate for at least two years. TRAI on Monday said that no company or offer to charge discriminatory tariff for data on basis of content effective immediately. India’s telecom regulator TRAI says no company to offer/charge discriminatory tariffs for data on basis of content - TV— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) February 8, 2016 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The regulator, which warned the operators that they cannot enter into any arrangement based on discriminatory pricing, also said that financial disincentives of Rs. 50,000-50 Lakh will be charged If TRAI regulations were violated. TRAI Releases its Regulations on &q...
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Will take structured view on net neutrality: Ravi Shankar Prasad
10Jan By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments
INDIA

Will take structured view on net neutrality: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Asserting the government's stand on non-discriminatory access to internet, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday said the issue of net neutrality is being debated by Trai and its report is awaited, following which a final view will be taken. "The issue of net neutrality is being debated by the Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and we have to await the Trai report. Thereafter, the government will take its structured view," Prasad told reporters here. Amid a raging debate on providing equal internet access to all, the government had last year set up an expert panel to look into the issues of net neutrality. Net neutrality implies that equal treatment be accorded to all internet traffic and no priority be given to an entity or company based on payment to content o...
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Zuckerberg makes renewed pitch for Free Basics service
28Dec By PriyankaNo Comments
News

Zuckerberg makes renewed pitch for Free Basics service

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Monday made renewed pitch for its controversial Free Basics Internet service in yet another marketing blitz saying it protects net neutrality. Facebook's proposed Free Basics plan allows customers to avail of services like education, health care and employment listings through apps specially designed for this platform on their phones without a data plan but does not allow access to many services such as YouTube, Gmail, Google or Twitter. Zuckerberg appeared on a video to personally promote Free Basics and also wrote a personal appeal in one of the leading newspapers. While Free Basics allows users to access a small number of Web services without charge, it has been criticised by some for alleged violation of the principle of net neutrality, a co...
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“Facebook is misleading Indians”
25Dec By No Comments
BLOGS

“Facebook is misleading Indians”

Today it has ads around India saying "What net neutrality activists won't tell you". I'm a net neutrality activist and I'm happy to tell you anything you'd like to know. In fact, we're a small group, working unpaid, taking breaks from our regular jobs, and we've always been happy to tell you anything at all you wanted to know. We don't have a business axe to grind, we're not working for Facebook's rivals, and if anything, we've been part of Digital India far, far longer than Facebook has existed. We're open to questioning. Unlike Facebook, who tried to silently slime this thing through last year when it was called Internet.org, and then are spending about Rs. 100 crores on ads - a third of its India revenue? - to try and con us Indians this year again. This is  after we'd worked h...
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India is temporarily banning Facebook’s plan to provide free internet to the developing world
23Dec By AdityaNo Comments
News

India is temporarily banning Facebook’s plan to provide free internet to the developing world

Facebook's plan to provide free internet to the developing world just hit another hurdle: The Indian regulator is ordering a temporary ban on the service, called Free Basics, reports The Times of India. Free Basics - part of Internet.org - is a service offered by the social network in some emerging markets that lets users access some websites for free. source- gettyimages The aim is to help bring people online for the first time, but has come under sustained criticism for allegedly violating the principles of net neutrality. Net neutrality dictates that all data should be treated equally, and companies cannot pay for faster access or preferential treatment, so as not to stifle innovation and create hurdles for startups unable to pay. But because Free Basics zero-rates - that is...
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Lobbying for net neutrality, working on open framework: Zuckerberg
28Oct By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments
News

Lobbying for net neutrality, working on open framework: Zuckerberg

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday said his firm is working on an open framework and continues to 'lobby' for net neutrality even as its plan to provide free Internet access to people under Free Basics programme faces criticism. "We do a lot to support (net neutrality) in terms of regulations, we are working on building an open framework..." Zucerkerbg said, while speaking at Townhall at IIT- Delhi. "We lobby for it (net neutrality) across the world but at the same time, we continue to push for access." he added. Facebook's Internet.org platform, which was recently rebranded as Free Basics, has come under fire from Internet activists for violating the principle of net neutrality that is against any priority being accorded to an entity in Internet traffic flow on account of paym...
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