Net Neutrality, Digital India, and Internet.org

Net Neutrality, Digital India, and Internet.org

Net Neutrality:

As defined on Wikipedia, net neutrality is the principle that internet service providers and government should treat all data on the internet the same, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication.

Internet was first introduced in India starting with Laxmi Nagar, Delhi on 15th August, 1995. It is right to say that internet in India is as old as we are (The current college going population of India, or so called the Youth). We have seen it grow from 10 to 20 kbps to 1 to 2 mbps. So I think the decision, of what we want with Internet and how we want it should be left to us.

Digital India:

Launched on 1st July, 2015, Digital India, a Government of India initiative to ensure that government services are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing internet connectivity. My relatives work in government offices where e-governance is promoted or in the words of the officers a headache is implemented. Websites are launched for the general population to submit their complains and other related documents, but people still submit their forms in black and white, making the officers not only do their official duties, but also make online submissions for the general population.

In my opinion, a reformed education system, investments in low fees colleges, and work on the ground level is needed more than internet. Primary schools are unable to attract students, and if there are students who want to study there are shortage of well trained teachers.
We all have seen the advertisement of internet.org, sisters making robot arm on their own, they want us to think about what they can do if they get connected to internet, I ask, would they have made the robotic arm if they had no basic education?

Internet.org:

Internet.org is a partnership between Facebook and other six companies that plans to bring affordable access (mind it affordable not free) to selected internet services to less developed countries.

The question arises if internet.org and net neutrality can co-exist, in my opinion, no they cannot co-exist. Internet.org provides affordable internet services to the population using the services of the partner telecom service providers, as if the population using other networks are not worth basic internet services. The basic motive behind such an initiative, according to me, is to kill the possibilities of the next Facebook.

What will happen to booming developer community of our country? If internet.org is launched with all the other networks in India, developers will have to launch their creations through internet.org and if the developer cannot meet the prescribed guidelines he won’t be able to promote his product in India.

Internet is very vast and with internet.org it would become shell of few services that won’t be decided by the user but by the provider. It would be like “either cook for us or die in hunger”.

The above article is completely my own opinion, uninfluenced in every manner.