from the double-dipping-is-only-good-for-candy dept.
The debate about net neutrality in India has been heating up as the suspiciously tight April 24 deadline nears for comments on a consultation paper released on March 27 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the country's telecom regulator. As detailed in this article, things began last Christmas.
On December 25, 2014, Airtel, the country's largest mobile operator with over 200 million active subscribers, dropped a bombshell: it wanted to charge customers extra for using services like Skype, Viber and Google Hangouts even though they had already paid for Internet access. If customers wanted to use a service that used Internet data to make voice calls — something known as VoIP — they would need to subscribe to an additional VoIP pack, the company said. Airtel was double-dipping and customers were furious. The tweets flew thick and fast. In less than four days, Airtel backtracked on its plans. It would wait, it said, for a consultation paper about net neutrality that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) would publish soon.
Once that consultation paper came out, Airtel then decided to adopt the Internet.org approach by creating 'Airtel Zero':
[Continued after the break.]
... an open marketing platform that will allow customers to access mobile applications at zero data charges. Akin to the established concept of toll-free voice calling, ‘Airtel Zero’ will allow everyone from big marketers to small-time application developers to make parts or their entire mobile app free for customers — thus reviving interest of dormant customers, attracting new potential users and increasing retention.
Essentially, they wanted companies to subsidize data used by their apps, an approach that has been soundly criticized by a senior advisor at the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority in a blogpost
The Norwegian guidelines on net neutrality state quite clearly that "Internet users are entitled to an Internet connection that is free of discrimination with regard to type of application, service or content or based on sender or receiver address." This means that in the Norwegian market zero-rating would constitute a violation of the guidelines. At first glance it may appear that all traffic is handled equally in this charging model, but the fact is that once you have used your quota, the traffic that is exempted will be allowed to continue, while all other traffic will be throttled or blocked. This is clearly a case of discrimination between different types of traffic.
Funnily, the TRAI's consultation paper indicates that services like WhatsApp, Skype etc. are in violation of the Indian Telegraph Act of 1885 by not holding a valid telecom license. Much of the resistance is organizing around netneutrality.in and /r/india with twitter campaigns, bad app reviews for companies that join "Airtel Zero" and humorous, informational videos flying everywhere. The most recent reaction has been to create savetheinternet.in which lets visitors send a pre-written reply to the 20 questions TRAI sought answers to.
Related Stories
Game Politics reports
[Epic Games, Inc., known for their Unreal Engine technology,] has selected three more developers that will receive money through its Unreal Dev Grant program. The recipients for March include Retro Yeti Games, Three One Zero, and PixelBeam.
Epic has given Retro Yeti Games a $13,000 grant for its Unreal Engine 4 powered game, 404Sight [...] that makes a statement about net neutrality.
[...]In the game, players try to run as fast as they can through levels before they get throttled by the evil Internet service provider. (Throttling was one of the many nefarious practices used by ISPs that the FCC effectively banned in its new net neutrality rules that were approved in late Feb.)
404Sight is set for launch on PC April 16 and will be free. You can learn more about it on its Steam product page or its official web site at 404sight.com.
Facebook has announced the Internet.org Platform, "an open program for developers to easily create services that integrate with Internet.org." The partnership is designed to deliver affordable Internet access to the developing world. However the initiative has been criticized for violating net neutrality:
Facebook says it will allow more websites and other online services to join its "free mobile data" Internet.org scheme.
The announcement follows a backlash against the initiative. Opponents suggest it compromises the principles of net neutrality, because it favours access to some sites and apps over others.
But Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg said it was "not sustainable to offer the whole internet for free". "It costs tens of billions of dollars every year to run the internet, and no operator could afford this if everything were free," he said in an online video posted to Internet.org's website.
Also discussed at TechCrunch, Ars Technica, Gizmodo, and Quartz.
Previously:
Internet Access in Developing World With Drones
Facebook's Internet.org - "Internet-For-Everyone" - Launches in Zambia
India Debates Net Neutrality
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2015, @10:10PM
For to be doing coding for western companies. We bid low! You give oursourcing contract.
(Score: 3, Informative) by jimshatt on Sunday April 12 2015, @10:27PM
(Score: 1) by kadal on Monday April 13 2015, @02:08AM
I was hoping that the humour would come through. Great that it did!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by GungnirSniper on Sunday April 12 2015, @10:28PM
When is patch switched voice traffic including regular phone calls going to be included in this net neutrality arrangement? I get that it is legacy traffic, at least legally, but why do my bits cost more for one type than another?
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 12 2015, @10:37PM
for all the crap telemarketing that comes from there. "Dis is windows calling, your contrudor have a virus"
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 13 2015, @02:02AM
Oouuch sorry for your sea fiber. Seems there will be no Infosys, Tata or phone spam what a loss!. :D
(Score: 1) by Bacon Bits on Monday April 13 2015, @04:18PM
That's fraud, not telemarketing.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 13 2015, @02:07AM
If previous actions are anything to go by. The government will do what big corporations in India says is what they want due to the deep corruption. Otoh, people in India may react way more fiercely than in the USA. And the telecoms may experience a physical backlash, so the stakes are high.