Opinion | Confusing Net Neutrality with Free Internet - #Internet.org

As expected Foolish Indian Netizens have confused Net Neutrality with the Free internet service - #Internet.org. The fact is that the 2 are poles apart

The recent news on net neutrality is being read too much into and being made out to be an evil whereas it does have its own advantages

While I can write a detailed white-paper on the same in very simple terms if I may ask – Don’t we pay a premium for a good service?? Don’t we fly business class even when tickets are available in economy class?? Don’t we stay at a 5-Star hotel while on a vacation even though there is a lodge just across the hotel??

In simple Net Neutrality would not mean you can’t access certain sites. Yes!! You heard me right, the difference being you might be able to access some of them really fast and have a par excellence surfing pattern. Paying to access a service or a site is Ok as long as the service is par excellent

Coming back to the core focus of this article – Free Internet i.e. #Internet.org internet.orgIndia#

Let’s understand what #Internet.org is all about and what it holds for India and the (foolish) Netizens

Free#Internet.org is a very noble initiative chaired by #MarkZuckerberg and aims to empower 5 Billion people globally with access to the Internet completely FREE - Yes and thus it is called Free Internet

This all began with ProjectLoon - A pet project for #MarkZuckerberg. Read more about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Loon

The #Internet.org initiative was launched on August 20 2013 with the aim to provide and improve the level of internet services across locations such as Zambia, Kenya, India and others

As of March 2015 the Indian partner for #Internet.org is Reliance Communications

Initiative explain in very simple terms:

1. The initiative would tie-up with a particular telco in each country it intends to be present in. The Indian partner is Reliance Communications
2. Yes – To access this service a user has to have a devise (I hope foolish netizens don’t demand a free devise as well with the internet;)
3. Yes – You have to be a Reliance mobile customer to access this service
4. The service allows a user to access 32 services online FREE of cost. Here is the list https://www.rcom.co.in/Rcom/personal/internet/internet-org.html
5. The FREE services offered are across areas such as social networking, information, jobs, health, career, search engine, shopping, sports and women empowerment

After having worked in the digital space for 11.5 years I can say with full conviction that this service would be a game changer purely because it allows the not so privileged strata of society to stay connected

Imagine a few scenarios:

1. A youth unemployed in a small town can constantly look for jobs and career opportunities on a job portal which is a part of #Internet.org
2. Anyone seeking any information i.e. News can keep himself / herself updated with the latest news since their service offers free access to sites such as Dainik Bhaskar, IBN Live, BBC, etc
3. Shopping – Buying and Selling via Olx would be free. As we know OLX is an online market for the price sensitive and connects buyers – sellers
4. Baby Centre – The best site globally for expecting mothers and new mothers would be Free. Women (and even their husbands) can access the site and understand how to go about all aspects of pregnancy and post-birth care. Big boost to giving a better environment to a new born (Whether we need more newborns in India of course is a question considering the population)
5. Wikipedia – Free access, read up on the topic of your choice and get educated. I can bet WikiPedia is a far better source to get educated than IIN
6. Bing – Search engine is Free and you can search whatever information you seek via this

I can go on and on with the benefits but I guess the point is ample clear

The Airtel zero also in a way is a good service but mis-read just like the overall concept of net neutrality is and thus I won’t shed light on that since my views on the topic are already clear
Coming back to #Internet.org - I do not know why an NDTV, ClearTrip and the Times Group have to back out from #Internet.org and confuse it with their stance of Net Neutrality

I can safely assume that the key decision makers do no understand the difference between Net Neutrality and free internet initiative #Internet.org and I stand my ground that we must allow #Internet.org to succeed in India

I hereby declare myself as a Free Internet – #Internet.org evangelist and shall continue to spread awareness on the topic

I would love to hear the views of those who read my article / post. Would also be happy to receive abuse from the foolish netizen who might not be able to digest this article. I can be reached at paurush.sonkar@icloud.com

IMPORTANT : The views stated hereby are my personal opinion and do not have any bearing on any brand, company or person I am associated with