The issue of Net neutrality was raised in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with Opposition members calling for a discussion in the House.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, CPI (M)’s MB Rajesh called upon the Centre to declare the Internet as a public utility.
“Today, Internet has become a source of knowledge, information and communication for millions of people,” he said, adding that doing away with Net neutrality will lead to “concentration of economic power” with only the rich being able to afford the services.
Alleging that cartels have been formed, Rajesh flayed the consultation paper by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) which was “supporting” these cartels, and urged the Centre to take a stance against it.
“We have been receiving thousands of responses asking us to defend Net neutrality,” he said, drawing support from Opposition members as well as some from the Treasury benches.
TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar had also recently said that there has to be a democratic debate. “It’s a debate that is waiting to happen. Shrill voices do not win debate. Cool-headed, reasoned arguments on both sides are the need of the hour,” he had said.
The arguments/debates on Net neutrality heated up when country’s largest telecom services provider Airtel came out with its ‘Zero’ plan where in it allowed everyone from big marketers to small-time application developers to make parts or their entire mobile app free for customers.