Digital India: net neutrality is a key parameter for the digital campaign in India to succeed, experts say

The government announced last week India Digital program, which PM Narendra Modi "allow investment of Rs 4.5 lakh crore and ensure jobs for 18 lakh people." While the PM said net neutrality, incidentally, experts believe that having an open internet eventually become a bigger test when it comes to implementing the vision of Digital India.

According MediaNama founder Nikhil Pahwa quoted in The Economic Times, the talk of the PM to create successful start-ups in India can only be done if the Internet is neutral.

"Any movement of the accelerator access or create barriers to the development of new companies working on will come to the essence of net neutrality applications," Pahwa said.

According to a report by the Department of Telecommunications also it provides that net neutrality is important considering poor internet coverage in India. The report says that India has the third highest Internet users number in the world, but has the lowest Internet penetration. India belongs to the list of the 42 least connected countries in the world. It is even said that one of the main drivers of growth of new businesses is the openness of the Internet.

According Prasanth Sugathan in SFLC.in (a legal non-profit organization that works to protect civil rights in a digital world), the main premise of Digital India is to provide a level playing field for citizens to be connected and digitally only You can be achieved if the Internet is impartial.

Recently, the Department (DoT) Telecommunications Panel on net neutrality has declared itself against Internet.org projects like Facebook, which allow access to certain websites without charges for mobile data, while suggesting that similar plans as Airtel Zero is allowed with prior approval of Trai.

Airtel Zero, as anyone who has been following the space will take into account, allows applications access to client application developers involved in zero data charges. Airtel plans to adopt the approach by calling the toll-free voice here, offering users free access to an application. Data charges for the use of those applications shall be borne by the developer of the application. We have already discussed how this also in clear violation of the principles of net neutrality.

In such a scenario, the DoT panel considering leaving Zero Airtel operate albiet released TRAI not sent through a mixed defenders of net neutrality signal.

End of government policy on net neutrality will come into play only after TRAI submits its recommendations thereon to DoT.