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Feb 09, 2016
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TRAI bats for Net neutrality
In a blow to Facebook and telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Reliance Jio, the telecom regulator on Monday said that tariff for data services cannot vary on the basis of type of content being accessed by users.
This jeopardises telecom operators’ plans to offer services such as ‘Zero Rating’, launched by Airtel, which offered users free access to certain websites. Facebook and Reliance Communications will also have to roll back the ambitious ‘Free Basics’ programme as it offers cheaper access to select websites. While the telecom operators and Facebook had argued that such schemes were needed to make internet affordable to a larger population, TRAI said that this was discriminatory and went against the principle of fair competition. “Anything on the internet cannot be differentiated (in price) on the basis of source, destination, content or application. No service provider shall offer or charge discriminatory tariffs for data services on the basis of content,” said Rs. Sharma, Chairman, TRAI.
Source -
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com
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