Article Indian tech views on Airtel zero

[Technoglitch]

"We are pro net neutrality. Internet should be fair for all. Net Neutrality ensures that the best product wins rather than the guy with the deepest pockets. A tiered internet will always favor the companies with money and will be very detrimental to meritocracy. This is like introducing a class system for the internet."

“It goes without saying that we are for net neutrality in India. We strongly believe in equal access to information and services. Airtel Zero per se, like they say is comparable to toll free numbers. However, what they do beyond that could infringe in damaging the net neutrality that we are looking for. The potential end of net neutrality will be disastrous and will greatly arrest India’s growth, and shouldn’t be allowed under any circumstance.”

Net neutrality is fundamental to a robust set of internet companies in India. In the absence of such, I feel we are not going to have a level playing field and ultimately make the innovation suffer. I can understand the revenue pressure telecom operators are feeling because of many of the internet applications. However, the current position of telecom operators is neither very fruitful, nor sustainable in long term. An end to net neutrality will reduce the innovations and increase the barrier to entry for young innovative startups to do new things. Ironically, young Filpkart five years back would have been found it difficult to compete against Amazon in the world of "Net Zero" plan if current situation existed then.

8 Indian Tech Startups Speak On Airtel Zero And Net Neutrality - NewsHub

 

[Teufel]

Airtel Zero shouldn't be implemented at any cost. It will ruin the entire system of the internet.
Flipkart is supporting this stupid thing because they have plans to move to app only. What about other websites, who don't have app?

 

[DashMajor]

Because it is very easy to steel data from App, and it is profitable too for a brand like Filpkart to understand the nerves of the people.

 

[NinadG]

Net Neutrality: Will Modi act to save the internet in India?

The heart of Net Neutrality debate is simple. It is not the pipe, but that which moves through the pipe, that creates value. Will the 'digitally empowered' Modi government apply its mind to the issue?

In a country where the Prime Minister is using every social media platform to reach out to his people and crying out aloud about his intention to empower every Indian through digital initiatives, his government is working very hard to do everything to kill digital India. Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s Ministry of Telecom and the TRAI has put aside public interest and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for “minimum government” in how people access the internet on the issue of “Net Neutrality”.

Just as your use of Gmail brings business to Google, or your posting videos brings revenues to YouTube or your profiles on social media sites earns them revenues, the content and media on internet created by developers of various websites creates revenues for the TSPs and ISPs. Those who created this value have therefore, caused the internet to grow. If the number of websites on the internet is caused to shrink to a few dozen or even a few thousand, the internet will lose almost all of its value.

What they are doing is killing the internet, site by site and ensuring the digital exclusion of India from the internet. They are ensuring that the websites they exclude will no longer be able to reach out to their audiences in India or in fact anywhere across the world.

It is strange that Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, a distinguished lawyer himself, has missed to see the ISP’s and TSPs violating the provisions of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969 (MRTP) and the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (CPA).

Promising the internet and delivering a few sites is deficiency. Claiming net-neutrality and providing differential pricing, speed or access to different websites is deficiency.

The government should be slapping the MRTP and Consumers Act on both TRAI and those TSPs and ISPs indulging in monopolistic or unfair trade practices.

When net-neutrality was threatened in the US, President Obama himself took a stand and did all he could to ensure net-neutrality was not compromised.

You can reach Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on twitter @rsprasad and by email at [email protected]. If you are moved to report to the Prime Minister, his twitter handle is @narendramodi and @pmoindia. Help the Prime Minister to protect his dream of digital India.


Net neutrality and consumers - Moneylife

 

[DashMajor]

Each and every minister are using twitter handle, Modi himself holding 4 - 5 of them. All BJP CM using their personal twitter handle. I get know that ministers even are active in WhatsApp means atleast they're socially active may not be physically if we consider.

Thing is if a Govt. and leader of a Govt. using various mode of social sites then how come they will favour Net Neutrality ?? As if they allows such stupidity then they will loose their own platform to communicate with local people.