Net neutrality: To regulate or not to regulate?. Flickr/ITU Pictures. CC-BY-2.0.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has proposed the key principles on non-discriminatory treatment as applicable to Internet Access Services. TRAI’s reiteration of net neutrality assumes special significance for the global discourse on the issue, given the US-FCC’s decision to repeal its existing rules on net neutrality.
Net neutrality and equality of opportunity
The idea of net neutrality suggests the concept of an open internet whose architecture can safeguard and promote equality of opportunity for all. A non-discriminatory internet must promote real-world egalitarianism. The debate on net neutrality is hence primarily about what kind of internet can nurture a fair society. The technical protocols for Internet Traffic Management (ITM) must, therefore, be based on the privileging of public interest considerations in policy processes.
