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Internet should not be monopoly of few: Minister
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SME Times News Bureau | 10 Feb, 2016
Lauding the telecom watchdog's decision on discriminatory pricing,
Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said internet is
one of the finest creations of the human mind and it should not become
the monopoly of a few.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) in a much-awaited regulatory order on Monday had said that no
service provider would be allowed to charge "discriminatory tariffs" for
data services on the basis of content.
"We very much appreciate
this decision of TRAI whereby differential tariff in case of data
services has been rejected. The view of our government from the
beginning has been very clear, which I have also articulated in the
Parliament, that is, internet is one of the finest creations of human
mind and it should not become the monopoly of few," Prasad told
reporters here.
"Differential pricing on data, whether it is Free
Basics or any other mode, is plainly not acceptable," the minister said
adding that the internet "must be available without discrimination."
The watchdog has also called for a fine of Rs.50,000 per day for each act of contravention, subject to a cap of Rs.50 lakh.
Prasad
further said the government fully respected the freedom of expression
and discourse on social media and interned adding that "Our government
is committed towards digital inclusion."
He said that the
government was expanding Digital India into every "nook and corner of
the country, and taking extraordinary steps to empower the people
through technology, to create a knowledge economy, the very concept," in
order to bring about digital inclusion.
The sector regulator's move was seen as a setback to offerings such as Facebook's Free Basics and Airtel Zero.
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