New Delhi : Telecom regulator Trai extended the last date for receiving comments on its paper on differential data pricing – a key aspect of the raging debate on net neutrality – by about a week to January 7, Chairman R S Sharma said.
The date has been extended at a time when social network Facebook has launched a massive campaign in support of its Free Basics Internet service, which has been dubbed in various quarters as violating the principle of net neutrality.
The deadline for comments ended on Wednesday.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) also extended last date for counter comments January 14.
“It’s neither free nor villainous, as claimed. Allow multiple such initiatives or none. It’s really that basic, free or otherwise #FreeBasics,” former IT minister Milind Deora tweeted. BJD MP Baijayant Jay Panda said, “#FreeBasics like #HotelCalifornia ? u can check out (sponsors’ sites) anytime u like, but u can nvr leave (for any of zillion other sites)?
However, NGO Telecom Watchdog has favoured Free Basics kind of projects saying that “any proposal that offers free services to general public including the one being offered by Facebook under the brand ‘Free Basics'” should not be rejected.
