Vote for Net Neutrality-Save the Internet

What is Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality (also network neutrality, Internet neutrality, or net equality) is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication.

– All sites must be equally accessible

- The same access speed at the telco/ISP level for each (independent of telco selection)
– The same data cost for access to each site (per KB/MB)

Why a Business needs Net neutrality

Net Neutrality is very important for small business startups and entrepreneurs, who depend on the open Internet to expand their business by creating  a market and advertising their products and services.We need the open Internet for  job growth, competition and innovation.

Net Neutrality lowers the barriers of entry for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses by ensuring the Web is a fair and level playing field. They use the Internet to reach new customers and showcase their goods, applications and services.

What Happened recently?

The leading telecom operators in India proposed a scheme that provides a platform to access few websites for free and few websites for cost.For example Facebook, may be free and so is Youtube but not Vimeo or Dailymotion.Shoping at Flipkart doesnt cost you but you may be charged by shoping at some other online retailer.This seriously seemed to violate the rules of Net Neutrality.

Rules suggested by Obama:

– No blocking: If a consumer requests access to a website or a service, Internet Service Providers should not be permitted to block it, enabling every player “gets a fair shot at your business.”

– No throttling: Internet Service Providers should not intentionally slow down some content or speed up others based on the type of service or their preferences.

– Increased transparency: 
The connection between consumers and ISPs is not the only place some sites might get special treatment. Hence, if necessary, FCC should apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the ISP and the rest of the Internet.

– No paid prioritization: No service should be stuck in a “slow lane” because it does not pay a fee. Obama asked for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.

In India, with the comment period underway, Internet activists have organized a campaign against the regulator’s proposal and appear to be having some impact. The minister of communications and information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad, recently said on Twitter that the government would study the issue closely before adopting final rules, noting that the Internet belonged to all of “humanity and not to a few.”

To some Telecom Operators

One of the main reasons the Internet has been so successful is that people have generally been able to use it how they wish. The worst thing policy makers could do to the network would be to allow telecom companies to mess with that.

How can I help?

• Help raise awareness

  
  

  • Share links to net neutrality articles and campaigns on Social Media. See the posts below for ideas. Make sure you use the hashtag #NetNeutralityIndia.

  

  • Have conversations with your family, friends, colleagues & acquaintances about this.
  • You can vote for Net Neutrality and submit your response to TRAI here
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