Toll Booths on the Internet: The Case for Network Neutrality

The internet today is an embodiment of the democratic world that we live in. it was founded on the principle of equal access for all. This meant that each and every person would be able to access the immense streams of data that abundantly fill up the far reaches of the internet; a principle that has struggled to stand firm over the years.

Throughout history, telecoms have endeavored to block the free movement of communication across diverse landscapes. They have used every play in their book to ensure that the costs of communication remain high for the end users. But, the close eye of the governments prevented them from having their way.

Ever since the internet went mainstream, the telecoms could see their grip over the telecommunication market loosen. Technology had found a way through their oppressive tactics. Today, the internet has arrived at a juncture, where it is capable of becoming the sole carrier of all kinds of data and communication.  Such a scenario is unprecedented.

The hyperactivity of the internet has attracted the sharks. The telecom companies can see their control deteriorating. The cost of communication has halved for the end user because of decreased dependency on carrier calling and messaging services. The self sufficiency of the internet is highly hostile to the telecom carriers.

This is where the case for Net Neutrality comes in. The carriers are no longer able to generate demand for the calling and messaging services. And they cannot simply justify a hike in prices of internet services.  So, instead, they are taking the hostile route.

The term network neutrality was coined almost ten years ago by Tim Wu of the Columbia Law School. It highlights the gargantuan success of the internet and how its providers are trying to control the transmission of data packets across its lengths. 

The protocols of the internet were clearly defined to allow free transmission of data without any bias or discrimination. However, the network operators have now found a chink in this armor. New technologies have now enabled network operators to easily identify and at the same time, intercept the kind of traffic that is being transmitted.

This technology, which was originally intended to filter SPAM and phishing data, is now being used by operators to put up toll booths on the internet.  In order to keep their revenue up, telecoms intend to use these barriers to unleash so called ‘premium’ services.

Their idea is to sell premium access to consumers for services being hailed as ‘fast lanes’ (bandwidth hungry services like videos, gaming, etc.). So, if one is a regular user, then he will be forced to use the slower road to his destination; unless, of course, he is willing to pay a premium to avail the benefits of the metaphorical highway of bandwidth.

And this problem is not just limited to the West. In December 2014, Airtel tried to bring this dirty game to India too. They tried to make internet calling or VoIP a paid service for all its users. The carrier would be able to differentially charge customers for using these services.  This move was met with a huge opposition and caused quite a furore across the country. Thankfully, the company did not go forward with their plans due to such widespread opposition.

But, the disturbing news is that, the war against Net Neutrality has managed to arrive in India too. Internet activists the world over are up in arms to oppose such moves and to ensure that the internet is not tied down. The only way that this can be prevented is by setting up network neutrality rules that prevent network operators from fragmenting the internet.

The United States and the European Union are working together to create a set of guidelines and rules which will govern net neutrality. The Netherlands has already passed strict network-neutrality laws, after its national telecoms company threatened to levy additional charges on internet calling services.

India has one of the slowest broadband infrastructures all over the world. Along with that, internet penetration is mostly limited to urban and semi urban areas. Although access to fast internet services has been recognized as a necessity in today’s world; it remains a luxury in our country.

The Airtel incident went without any comment from the Indian telecom regulator TRAI. The matter has subsided for now, but, in all possibility, some other carrier might try to make a similar move. Currently, the Indian telecom laws are quite liberal and do not stop the operators from attempting to introduce differential pricing for their internet services.

Several organizations have sprung up to defend the rights of consumers and to ensure that each and everyone have equal access to the internet. The internet is defining tool that reflects the liberal and secular times that we live in. to take that away, is like taking away the sovereignty of the people and their voices. Barack Obama is a staunch proponent o the cause and last year launched a dedicated website for people to track the developments. The Federal Communications Commission is working with governments all over the world to prevent the free reign of telecoms. 

The internet is a catalyst of all modern innovations and thus, to safeguard the interests of the consumers and the constitutional foundations of the country, the Indian government should also become a part of the process of framing stringent network neutrality rules.  Right now, it is very difficult to say how these rules would hold against the attacks of its opponents.  The only thing that’s important is to ensure that network neutrality does not become another notion, forever stuck in legal tussles; for the sake of democracy and free access to information.