Facebook fends off 'gatekeeper' tag on internet.org

NEW DELHI: Reacting to DoT's panel report on net neutrality, Facebook has defended its Internet.org initiative calling it a “gateway” to present low value access to the Internet in the backdrop of breaking down price, infrastructure and social obstacles that exist at the moment.

Internet.org is a partnership between social networking services company Facebook and six companies namely Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Opera Software, Nokia and Qualcomm that plans to bring affordable access to selected Internet services to less developed countries by increasing efficiency, and facilitating the development of new business models around the provision of Internet access.

But the same has been criticized for violating net neutrality and favoring Facebook's own services over its rivals.

According to the panel, operators and content material suppliers that allow such gate-maintaining position to be performed by any entity must be actively discouraged.

Net neutrality implies that equal remedy be accorded to all Internet visitors and no precedence be given to an entity or firm based mostly on cost to content material or service suppliers similar to telecom corporations, which is seen as discriminatory.

The neutrality debate gained momentum in India after telecom operator Airtel launched a platform, Airtel Zero, that permitted free access of some web sites on its community.