The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has expressed its dissatisfaction against the recent proposal to create differential access to the internet.

While the trade body appreciates the Government’s “Digital India” campaign and realises the importance of getting the internet up to the less privileged rural community, the chamber said that they failed to understand the logic of discriminating websites for this social cause.

C.S. Kartha, Chamber President was of the view that the Government should prioritise to ensure affordable access to data and information to the people. They must treat all lawful data on the internet equally and not charging differentially by their use, content, site, application etc.

Net neutrality, according to him, is crucial for small business especially start-ups who really bank on open internet to launch their businesses, create a market, advertise their products/services and also distribute using e-commerce sites. For an IT savvy state like Kerala, there is a need to open internet for job growth, competition and innovation.

The proposal from a few telecom operators to provide free data is welcome but it should not be at the cost of burdening others. The Internet’s success in fostering innovation and 24x7 accesses to knowledge/information were the key drivers for the record internet penetration in the country, he said.

The Chamber therefore urged the Centre and TRAI to strive for ‘non-discriminatory’ network and to refrain from any policy that will hamper the growth of internet in the country.

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