TRAI supports net neutrality, says services should be free of bias

Telecom sector watchdog TRAI on Tuesday issued its recommendations regarding the much debated issue of net neutrality.

Speaking at an open house to discuss in-flight connectivity on Monday, TRAI chairman RS Sharma assured that its suggestion would not be influenced by the developments in the US.

In US, the net neutrality issue is gaining momentum with telecom regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) taking back the 2015 net neutrality rules.

TRAI said the basic principle followed while issuing the suggestions that internet services should be non discriminatory. It said that the internet is an open platform and should be free from an bias.

The regulatory body pointed out that there should be no intrusion of equal access to internet to everyone, based on just the content.

TRAI also adviced service providers regarding entering into agreements with certain agencies to keep a check on discrimination.

The body said that the Licensing terms should also lists out the nature of bias, the service provider might be planning on in order to provide content.

The recommendations also said that telecom companies must declare their traffic management activities.

India has been in the midst of the net neutrality debate in 2015, with protests from pro-neutrality supporters ensuring that discriminatory services such as Facebook's Internet.org, Free Basics and Airtel Zero were not allowed to continue in India.

Campaigners from across the country collected millions of signatures to pledge their support for net neutrality.

IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had, at that point of time, pledged his support for a non-discriminatory internet.

Last week, while speaking at the Global Conference on Cybersecurity, Prasad reiterated his view.

He said that the right to access to the internet was "non-negotiable", and that no single body will have any monopoly over internet services.