Thread by @internetfreedom

Attention, Indian Internet! Recent reports state that the Telegraph Act is going to be updated to include #NetNeutrality considerations. While this is a welcome move, we wrote to @MoitOfficial highlighting issues to consider while drafting the bill.
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internetfreedom.in/telegraph-act-…

According to @TRAI, the all-India market share for broadband services is captured by 3 ISPs- Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel & Vodafone Idea. This threatens the implementation of net neutrality, as powerful players may be less liable to account for our concerns.
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#NetNeutrality implementation has suffered in India due to tensions among the government, civil society & ISPs, who've been trying to evade responsibility & pushing for 'soft touch regulation'. This is why arbitrary website blocking & lack of transparency continues illegally.
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In July 2018, the DoT amended various telecom licenses, imposing the principle non-discriminatory treatment of internet traffic as a licensing obligation on ISPs. This includes blocking, degrading, slowing down or granting preferential speeds/treatment to any content.
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A @cis_india study exposed a larger pattern where ISPs are either a) not complying with blocking orders or b) arbitrarily blocking websites without legal orders. IFF’s #NetNeutrality violation tracker too has received 1459 reports since April 2020.
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savetheinternet.in

@TRAI also recommended in 2017 that blocking requests be initiated in accordance with the law. But such orders aren't easily accessible, with many orders becoming publicly available only after being released by whistleblowers. This is bad for transparency & accountability.
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Last year, we provided our comments, counter-comments, and a supplementary submission on TRAI’s consultation paper on #NetNeutrality. We have also written to the DoT and TRAI asking them to protect net neutrality during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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internetfreedom.in/on-valentines-…

Our submissions rely on proposals of an independent multi stakeholder body, tools for monitoring and assessment, narrow deployment of the Traffic Management Practices exception, & transparency and accountability. Read about them at length in the blog post.
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Through our letter, we hope to remind the ministry of the dire need to address long-standing issues & implement a robust net neutrality. You can do your part and help us by reporting #NetNeutrality violations here. 9/n
savetheinternet.in