Mr.Sunil Pillai,Co-Founder& Managing Director Opinion From IValue On Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality is a fundamental need and right for all internet users to make their own  informed choices without being influenced through other means by service providers. With internet becoming a marketplace for all types of goods and services, its critical to provide level playing ground for both sellers and buyers. It would be unethical for select  brands to get upper hand through tie-up with select service providers due to the above.

Service provider have a basic duty of offering safe access to internet for consumer and business at optimal speeds. Internet is enabling Indian business and consumer to go global. Its redefining the business model from mundane things like booking a taxi / ticket to running business critical applications.

Business and Consumer along with Service providers need to adapt and evolve to this new paradigm.

It would be futile to form new policies to protect some of the business which can get negatively impacted by Internet and the application around internet evolutions.  If voice calls and its revenue stream are being impacted as an example, it’s for the respective business houses to graduate to offerings which still make relevance without impacting the net neutrality.

History still shows that e-commerce and m-commerce have not shut down all the retail business in any part of the world, even after decade and half.

Hence businesses which keep evolving its relevance and value add to its customers have not only survived but thrived.

On the contrary if there is intervention from policy makers or some of the players to go against the evolution, it has not been sustainable in the long run.

Its heartwarming to see the response and support to net neutrality drive and I am sure the government will see the larger picture in framing the right policy for India to thrive in the internet era.