Slashdot Mirror
India Blocks Facebook's Free Basics Internet Service (thestack.com)
An anonymous reader writes: India's leading telecom regulator, TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), has today voted against differential pricing, ruling with immediate effect that all data prices must be equal, and that companies cannot offer cheaper rates than others for certain content. The call is a significant blow to Facebook's Free Basics (previously Internet.org) initiative and Airtel Zero – projects which work to make internet access more accessible by providing a free range of "basic" services. The watchdog confirmed that providers would no longer be able to charge for data based on discriminatory tariffs but instead that pricing must be "content agnostic." It added that fines of Rs. 50,000 – 50 Lakh would be enforced should the regulations be violated.
Or another:
India still on the path to socialism/communism.
Sorry, Zuck. You'll have to look elsewhere for the data of impoverished people with no recourse. Putting the political issue to one side, I am so glad there are still people on earth that will stand up to Ametican corporations!
Thank you for being such a white knight and making certain these people will never be able to access the evils of Wikipedia or free online education.
Decisions like this are symptomatic of why India is poor.
Person A wants to use Facebook FB. He knows the deal. FB knows the deal.
Can he? no. Person B - in the form of the State - has banned him from doing so.
It's not freedom, it's wrong.
The basic failure here is the State deciding what people are going to have to do. That power is of course fabulously open to abuse, and in India, corruption - in all its forms - is the main cause of ongoing poverty.
Countries are poor for one or more of three reasons; war, high taxation, corruption.
When States control people's lives, and set aside their freedom, you concomittantly find corruption.
Alternate title: "India insists on network neutrality"
And this is a prime example of why network neutrality is _wrong_.
Here is a company, willing to offer free access to some content to many people. People would obviously benefit, otherwise nobody would use it. The company (facebook) would benefit, by having more customers and what not. It is a clear cut win-win. The only party that is negatively affected are competitors ISP which are surely lobbying at the TRAI ears.
So government steps in and makes it illegal for said free service to be provided, arguing it is the best for its people.
The net neutrality advocates completely ignore the fact that people (like in this case) would actually prefer a free non network neutral service than an expensive network neutral internet access.
This is slashdot, 9 out of 10 are in favor of net neutrality, so go ahead, mod me down.
You're using a story about corporate cronyism and government monopoly to support your argument on the benefits of Socialism?
You are one dumb motherfucker.
This is not net neutrality. This is saying we forbid you to provide something for free that others are charging for or we'll fine you. Its pure BS and only an idiot or a competitor would object. Net neutrality is charging different people different prices for the exact same bandwidth as everyone else. Companies don't like it because they think they deserve to have more bandwidth than some average person watching Netflix. They are wrong. A lot of people here do not understand net neutrality at all. As to free basic internet - screw the providers and thank goodness for Google, FB and others trying to make basic internet free for all. Telecom companies have demonstrated nothing but greed and corporate bias for decades and their time is over.
Another alternative title: "India would rather it's poorest have no Internet access at all instead of having a limited one India finds objectionable"