The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday upheld the basic principles of Net neutrality, disallowing telecom operators from prioritising, throttling or blocking content on their networks.

The regulator said the internet serves as the basic infrastructure for the development of other markets, and restrictions on access could hinder growth and innovation. It proposes to amend the existing licences to incorporate Net neutrality principles.

TRAI said the amendment was necessary owing to concerns that “TSPs may otherwise exercise their ability to disadvantage/advantage certain content over others”, which could potentially harm innovation and competition in the internet ecosystem, and the broader telecom sector.

“Allowing the gatekeepers of the infrastructure to differentiate on the basis of content, would impose negative externalities on the rest of the network... . This... would have a direct impact on the health of the internet services sector as a whole,” TRAI said.

The regulator also reiterated that internet use should be facilitated so that it advances the free speech rights of citizens, by ensuring diversity of views, opinions, and ideas. TRAI, however, made some exceptions for special services. “The provision of any specialised services should be excluded from the principle of non-discrimination,” it said. These services will be decided by the government, but could cover online healthcare.

No exemption for IoT However, the Internet of things (IoTs) will not be exempt from the principles of Net neutrality, it said.

Telecom operators may deploy reasonable traffic management practices to ensure they can use their network efficiently.

TRAI, however, said that any such exceptions must conform with the basic requirements of reasonableness, and should be transparent.

“The Authority proposes to supplement its disclosure and transparency requirements by framing additional regulations.”

On monitoring of internet traffic, TRAI recommended that the DoT establish an industry-led body with a framework for collaboration.

TRAI Chairman RS Sharma said the internet is an important platform, especially in the context of innovation, start-ups, online transactions, various government applications, and the ‘Digital India’ programme. “It is important that the platform is kept open and free and not cannibalised,” he said.

However, he declined to offer any timeframe to make the net neutrality framework effective, and left it to the DoT to take its view.

Related : Internet for all is not negotiable, says Prasad

Read TRAI's full recommendations here [PDF]

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