One week ago, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ruled in favor of net neutrality, or equal access to all Web content, when it banned free mobile data programs that favor some websites over others. The decision, brought about in part as a reaction to the Free Basics service from Facebook, effectively shuts down the program.
It remains to be seen whether zero rating services like Free Basics, which do not charge customers for data on a limited range of apps or sites, might provide the pathways to affordable and fully open Internet access for all. But the decision was a blow to Facebook’s efforts in India, and as the company identifies next steps, it must consider other ways to connect the unconnected in a country that is home to a quarter of the world’s offline population.
“The goal of public policy should be to make the Internet accessible, affordable, open and safe for everyone, especially for the poor,” said Uwe Deichmann, co-director of the World Bank’s 2016 “Digital Dividends” report.