basics - study iq•india’s department of telecommunications has approved net neutrality rules...

BASICS

BASICS

• India’s Department of Telecommunications has approved

net neutrality rules that ban blocking, throttling, and

zero-rating internet data, with some exceptions.

•The framework, published last year as a

recommendation from the Telecom Regulatory

Authority of India (TRAI), is the culmination of a

years-long campaign for net neutrality in India.

BANDWIDTH THROTTLING

•Bandwidth throttling is the intentional slowing or

speeding of an Internet service by an Internet service

provider (ISP).

• It is a reactive measure employed in communication

networks to regulate network traffic and minimize

bandwidth congestion.

ZERO-RATING INTERNET DATA

• Zero rating is the practice of not charging customers for data use

on specific websites and services by Internet service providers

(ISPs) and mobile service providers (MSPs).

• Zero rating can be used by providers to create more tempting

limited data plans for customers while favoring their own, affiliate

or popular sites. Websites and services in this arrangement can pay

the provider to be zero-rated and generally receive an influx of

traffic from otherwise limited data customers.

•The new rules prevent “any form of discrimination or

interference” with data, including “blocking, degrading,

slowing down, or granting preferential speeds or

treatment to any content.”

•But they don’t apply to “critical IoT services” or

“specialized services,” including autonomous vehicles

and remote surgery operations

BACK IN THE US, USERS ARE STILL FIGHTING

• The Obama administration had strongly advocated net

neutrality rules in the US but in 2015, US telecom regulator

Ajit Pai announced rolling back of those rules, which treated

internet service providers like public utilities.

• This is when the discussion started worldwide about what a

free internet is, including in India. Despite enough public

discourse and uproar over the last three years, the US

repealed net neutrality rules in June. Activists are working

tirelessly in the US to make their internet free and fair as well.