Casting a web: At Delhi town hall, Facebook founder and CEO bats for Free Basics, says he and his organisation should be trusted to back greater connectivity for all
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's status as a hero of the masses was evident when he walked on stage at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, on Wednesday. As star-struck students, chosen to attend by lottery, cheered in the “town hall” session, Zuckerberg talked about bringing connectivity to millions without the Internet. His conversation led repeatedly Facebook’s highly controversial internet.org platform, now rebranded Free Basics, stressing it did not violate net neutrality.
Open-source platform internet.org was unveiled last October in India and invited much opposition, and a slew of petitions, on the grounds that it gave the social media website and its partnering telecom operator, Reliance Communications, a competitive edge. Zuckerberg hit back, saying that those without Internet couldn’t even sign such petitions; that he and Facebook should be trusted to back greater connectivity for all.
Questions from students at the tightly guarded hall were vetted from a pre-submitted list, and allowed Zuckerberg to explain how Free Basics would help those without the Internet. “We absolutely support net neutrality,” he said, adding they had backed such rules in the United States. However, he said, “it can be taken too far.” According to him providing free Internet is expensive, and if the poor could access basic “low bandwidth” services, created by developers for the platform, that would help them, “where’s the harm in that”.
What wasn’t said was, since Facebook and the telecom operator would select those services, every submission by every developer would not be put out on Free Basics.
Technology journal Medianama founder, Nikhil Pahwa, told dna, “If Facebook and its partner have a competitive advantage doesn't this violate net neutrality? Give the whole internet for free. Don’t give a menu of services.”
In a spreadsheet doing the rounds online, Pahwa broke down the claims made by Zuckerberg, saying that Free Basics does not guarantee an open web; it could discourage consumers from transitioning to the latter, and didn’t allow them to choose services either.
Pahwa said that Facebook's assertion that there can be no web access for the poor without Free Basics is wrong. Both he and Rachita Taneja, a campaigner for non-profit organisation Jhatka, campaigning for net neutrality, and speaking out against Facebook on notreallyinternet.org, said that alternatives do exist. They cited non-profit Mozilla Foundation’s partnership with Grameenphone in Bangladesh, allowing users to receive 20 MB of free data usage in exchange for viewing advertisements. Its partnership with Orange would allow Africans to purchase $40 Firefox OS smartphones that come packaged with 3-6 free months of voice, text, and up to 500 MB of data per month, said Jhatka’s open letter to Zuckerberg.
Pahwa added that WiFi provider Ozone has similar services in India.
Taneja said, “Hundreds and thousands of Indians, through petitions, through the Trai and DoT submissions, have taken action for a neutral internet. He can't dismiss that."
Though Zuckerberg managed to sway many IIT students not all were moved. As one young student said, “His intentions may be good, but this seems like monopoly to me.”
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Zuckerberg")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}