Ending net neutrality will kill NDA's 'Make in India': Aditya Thackeray

Mumbai: Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray has urged the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to stall attempts to axe net neutrality, which according to him will draw public ire and do lasting damage to the nation, which is on the threshold of moving forward digitally.

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all traffic on their networks equally. That means users should be able to access all websites at the same speed and cost. No website should be given preferential treatment over another. Thackeray, in a letter to TRAI, said that killing net neutrality and allowing telecom operators to do so is not only draconian but also messes up the entire utility angle of access to internet that has been widely used in the country. "People from almost every social and economic strata have a mobile phone and unknowingly use the Internet to communicate," the letter stated.

"In an age where the NDA government is trying to bring in the Digital India revolution to benefit the nation, we must hammer down this move and keep the internet neutral. Slavery is a thing of the past, extortion is a crime and by allowing the Regulatory Framework for Over the Top Services (OTT), we will virtually legalise their whims," it added.