Internet must be open |
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended upholding the basic principle of net neutrality by keeping the Internet open and prohibiting any service provider from discriminating on the basis of content by either blocking, throttling, or “fast-laning” any apps, websites or web services. The recommendations follow a consultation process that lasted for over a year, after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) sought TRAI`s views on the issue in March 2016, with an aim to “finalise a viewpoint” on net neutrality. No one owns the Internet, so it should be open and accessible to everyone. Service providers have the power of becoming gatekeepers of the Internet but they should not indulge in doing so with this important platform, according to TRAI chairman R S Sharma. The use of Internet should be facilitated in such a manner that it advances the free speech rights of citizens, by ensuring plurality and diversity of views, opinions and ideas. TRAI also said that “specialised services” and content delivery networks (CDNs) be excluded from the scope of “any rules on net neutrality”. While the regulator has not laid down a clear definition of specialised services, it said the DoT may identify these services, and the status should only be given if a service follows two broad principles.
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