Welcoming Trai’s decision on differential pricing, the government on Monday said it supports open and fair Internet in the country.
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TRAI today ruled (PDF) that: “No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content”.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in New Delhi, India. Small businesses and Net Neutrality activists claimed that the social media giant was trying to create a walled garden, against the spirit of free internet.
India’s telecoms regulator has blocked Facebook’s Free Basics internet service as part of a ruling in favour of net neutrality.
The regulator, the TRAI has now banned the practice of charging different rates for mobile data services for different internet services, except in emergencies. “Internet.org has many initiatives, and we will keep working until everyone has access to the internet”, he added. We are all disappointed that people in India won’t be able to take advantage of Free Basics – but glad that our other work with Internet.org continues.
TRAI will also check if any attempts are being made to violate these regulations and can even issue a penalty of Rs. 50,000 a day for discriminatory tariffs.
Free Basics provides users in the developing world with free access to Facebook and other select websites on mobile devices.
However, service providers have been allowed to reduce tariff for access in case of providing emergency services.
Ironically, Facebook’s Internet.org was launched a year back in India, which was later named Free Basics. It was available in India only on Reliance Communications network but the same was put on hold after TRAI’s order.
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While Zuckerberg has acknowledged Facebook’s business would benefit from gaining more users around the world, he’s also argued that internet access is a powerful tool for economic development in low-income regions. The agency’s decision disappointed Zuckerberg, as he said he plans “to keep working to break down barriers to connectivity in India and around the world”.
