Indian Government Gives a Thumbs Up to 'Strong' Net Neutrality System Internet in India will Remain Free and Fair
By Aastha Singal •
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Much to the relief of internet users and emerging digital players, Indian government has confirmed to adopt the network neutrality rules, proposed by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in November last year.
Touted as the toughest set of principles to monitor artificial slowing or blocking of content on the web, India's newly applied Network Neutrality rules ban the practices of blocking, throttling and zero-rating internet data.
Net Neutrality in India will assure the equal treatment of the traffic without any discrimination of content. Apart from unrestricted online access, the recommendations assure stiff penalties for violations of the rules.
However, certain exceptions for emerging services such as autonomous driving, tele-medicine or remote-diagnostics might be provided. The privileges may include prioritized internet lanes and faster-than-normal speeds.
The acceptance has come as a breath of fresh air for the campaigners who were demanding equal treatment to all kind of web traffic by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Net Neutrality will bar carriers and ISPs from charging customers more to access popular services.
TRAI had recommended the implementation of neutral internet rules in 2017 but was seeking public opinions on potential changes to internet regulations since 2015. The United States' Federal Communication Commission drew flak last year for recklessly rolling-back the principle.
