It is heartening to see that mail box of TRAI, the telecom regulatory authority in India, flooded with 2 lac mails opposing any move to control internet and still the mails are pouring in. It is the time when Government of India should respond by heeding netizens call to guarantee rather than dilute net neutrality.
The disturbing signals started emerging when in a consultation paper TRAI had asked for feedback on questions such as What forms of discrimination or traffic management are reasonable and should be permitted ? Citizens answered : Do Not Discriminate. Yes, there are few countries cross the globe ruled by Military Juntha, Dictators, Religious Zealots and Autocrats, where the population is deprived of Facebook, YouTube or so many web site giving information or a feeling of liberation. Now the government should act fast to show that in Democracy discrimination is not permitted.
The net neutrality is is now a global concern. In the US two months back, the Federal Communication Commission enforced net neutrality rules after a vibrant grassroot campaign. There the core argument was the same, i.e., net has become basic part of living a full economic, social, cultural and political life in the contemporary world so it has to be allowed to breathe free. Taking a cue from another democracy, government of India must facilitate the healthiest possible internet eco system with in the country. That means not blocking opportunities for innovators operating from college or institute's dorms, not giving deep pocketed business people an unfair skewed privilege over the bright young people .
The disturbing signals started emerging when in a consultation paper TRAI had asked for feedback on questions such as What forms of discrimination or traffic management are reasonable and should be permitted ? Citizens answered : Do Not Discriminate. Yes, there are few countries cross the globe ruled by Military Juntha, Dictators, Religious Zealots and Autocrats, where the population is deprived of Facebook, YouTube or so many web site giving information or a feeling of liberation. Now the government should act fast to show that in Democracy discrimination is not permitted.
The government should also realize that Internet has revolutionized the computer and communications world like nothing before. The invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer set the stage for this unprecedented integration of capabilities. The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location. The Internet represents one of the most successful examples of the benefits of sustained investment and commitment to research and development of information infrastructure. Beginning with the early research in packet switching, the government, industry and academia have been partners in evolving and deploying this exciting new technology. Today, terms like "bleiner@computer.org" and "http://www.acm.org" trip lightly off the tongue of the random person on the street.
The Internet is the best gift of technology to the humanity.Today it is a widespread information infrastructure, the initial prototype of what is often called in US, the National (or Global or Galactic) Information Infrastructure. Its evolution was complex and involved many aspects - technological, organizational, and community. And its influence reaches not only to the technical fields of computer communications but throughout society as we move toward increasing use of online tools to accomplish electronic commerce, information acquisition, and community operations.
I do not know how the idea has come to telecom providers, of their own or prompted by some one to provide free internet to the poor, but what the 'poor' will see will be decided by the operators ! To any sensible mind business of telecom operators is streaming the contents. If they are allowed to discriminate between different kind of contents, we are permitting them to create a caste system of content which will end up hurting both consumers and the entrepreneurial spirit. Suppose a big app pays a telecom operator to pump up its contents at the other's expense, it will cost consumer's freedom of choice.This caste system of content will resist meritocracy, it will discriminate better but newer start-ups out of fair competition. If this kind of discrimination would have prevailed on internet space probably Facebook, YouTube, GMail or Viber and Whatsup kind of revolution on Mobile platform.
The net neutrality is is now a global concern. In the US two months back, the Federal Communication Commission enforced net neutrality rules after a vibrant grassroot campaign. There the core argument was the same, i.e., net has become basic part of living a full economic, social, cultural and political life in the contemporary world so it has to be allowed to breathe free. Taking a cue from another democracy, government of India must facilitate the healthiest possible internet eco system with in the country. That means not blocking opportunities for innovators operating from college or institute's dorms, not giving deep pocketed business people an unfair skewed privilege over the bright young people .
.jpg "A Gumnam Actress Strips Nude to Protest Auto/taxi Fare Hike")
