A PYMNTS Company

India: MP calls for clear Net Neutrality laws

By  |  January 14, 2016

Countering the stand of telcos on the issue of differential pricing for data services, Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar has written to TRAI about what he calls an attempt to “cabelise the internet through gatekeeping”.

The TRAI consultation paper dated December 9, 2015, had sought comments on the matter of differential pricing. In ‘counter comments’ to the claim that VoIP and OTT services take away the level playing field, the MP said “the need for a free, open and fair internet, however, must supersede this desire of telcos to misuse control, and increase profits”.

He says the TRAI Act, in its current form, does not have enough teeth to adequately define and enforce consumer rights. “There is significant evidence that due to the finite number of access providers and limited competition in the sector, there exists a pricing and QoS co-op. There is therefore a need for a strong set of legal consumer rights and a legislation that gives Indian consumers a fair deal.”

Full content: The Economic Times

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.