Role of Media & Social Networks

KEY POINTS

Net Neutrality

·         Net neutrality essentially means that networks should be neutral to the content which is being accessed through them.

·         Networks should not throttle, provide fast lanes and block certain content over others.  

·         TSPs or ISPs should have nothing to do with the choice of the customer.

Importance of Net neutrality

·         In the Indian context, it has a huge population; huge things are going to happen on the internet.

·         Internet today is a great platform for innovation, start-ups, banking and government applications such as health, telemedicine, education, and agriculture.

·         It is going to become further important in view of the Internet of Things and a huge number of applications.

·         It is the internet which produces an informative and enlightened citizen that empowers them to question the functioning of democracy.

·         In a highly digitised world, internet has become the basic infrastructure that advances the free speech rights of citizens.

·         Above all, consumers use internet to improve awareness.

·         It is the argumentative citizen who makes democracy possible and stronger.

·         Therefore, it is important that this platform be kept open and free.

Monitoring process

·         Establish a multi-stakeholder body with framework for collaborative mechanism among the stakeholders.

·         The multistakeholder body must be a not for profit body, comprising members representing different categories of TSPs and ISPs, large and small content providers, representatives from research and academia, civil society organisations and consumer representatives.

·         Meanwhile, the regulator should be vigilant about the implementation of net neutrality and impose heavy penalty on violators. 

Please review.