Government committed to net neutrality: Ravi Shankar Prasad

Telecom and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad yesterday made the government position on net neutrality on Tuesday clear saying blocking and deliberate slowing down or speeding up of lawful content on the web should not be allowed.

With over a million internet users opposing Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) consultation paper on allowing differential pricing by telcos for using different websites and mobile applications, Prasad said that the government had powers to give directions to the regulator on public policy.

The minister said the government agreed with the viewpoint that customers should have unrestricted access to all lawful content on internet. Prasad was replying to a call attention notice on net neutrality in the Rajya Sabha.

However, he added, there was a need for examining the implications of net neutrality in detail with regard to traffic management, national security, integrity of network and investment in infrastructure.

"This is what governments and regulators all over the world are grappling with," he explained.

He added that as per the TRAI Act the regulator made recommendations to the government on regulation of various aspects of the telecom sector.

Meanwhile, according to the telcos that support the Trai paper, while they made heavy investment to develop infrastructure, over-the-top services like Skype and Viber used it without paying for it.

"The government stands for ensuring nondiscriminatory access to Internet for all citizens of the country and current debate on net neutrality should be seen from this perspective while resolving the issues harmoniously and consistent with constitutional and economic principles."