Paid prioritization of content delivery against net neutrality, says DoT panel

Paid prioritization in the delivery of content over mobile devices has been found to be against net neutrality by a high-powered government committee, which has also censured Facebook’s controversial internet.org platform as it is seen to “extract value”, ostensibly in the name of public purpose. Paid prioritization includes specialized platforms where telecom operators provide greater…

Net Neutrality: Department of Telecom pushes for disallowing telecom companies’ zero rating plans in its report

The telecom department’s much-awaited report on ‘net neutrality’ is said to have recommended disallowing the controversial zero rating plans of telcos while proposing that throttling and any sort of prioritisation of Internet traffic should be banned by the government. “There should be no paid prioritisation which creates discrimination and no degradation of traffic on the…

Building India 2.0

The Narendra Modi government’s Digital India claim and programme — following on the heels of Make in India and Skill India — is three-pronged. One, it aims to build infrastructure and provide the internet as a utility to every citizen. Two, it promises to improve service delivery by making services available online. And three, it…

Village connectivity to be Digital India key focus

A scheme to link India’s 2.5 lakh villages with better internet connectivity is likely to be announced when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off a Rs 1 lakh crore programme on Wednesday aimed at wiping out India’s digital divide. Preparations are in full swing for the Prime Minister to launch the week-long programme — Digital…