Facebook’s drive to introduce the Free Basics platform in India continues to immerse deeper into the insane river. A week later it questioned Facebook’s appeal of having 11 million Free Basics ers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) has written a stinging criticism of the company’s entrancing campaign to collect the platform that claims to render free ‘Internet’ access to millions of Indians.
In response to the questions raised by the social media behemoth in regards to their multi-million dollar Free Basic campaign, TRAI or the Telecom Regulator Authority of India published a letter. You might already know, the giant social media spent millions of dollars so as to garner for their Free basics campaign. TRAI addressed to Facebook countering assertions levied by the social networking giant and criticising the way in which the company made millions of its s send emails to TRAI in of the contentious Free Basics service.
TRAI’s Response Towards Facebook’s Free Basics Campaign
The letter addressed to Ms Ankhi Das, who is the Public Policy Director at Facebook, TRAI restates its former position that the responses sent in by Facebook on behalf its s were not, in fact, responses to the four questions posed by the regulatory authority in its consultation paper on ‘Differential Prices for Data Services’ but merely templated response manifesting of Free Basics. This letter sent by TRAI will definitely restore your trust and belief in Government agencies.
On Facebook’s act of esteeming its immense base to obtain for Free Basics, TRAI says that Facebook’s “urging has the flavour of reducing this meaningful consultative exercise designed to produce informed decisions in a transparent manner into a crudely majoritarian and orchestrated opinion poll.”
The letter says that unsuspecting s were prompted with a pre-written message, which would be sent to TRAI to show their for Free Basics. In the first couple of days, Free Basics campaign generated over 6 lakh emails in Facebook in to Free Basics. By the end of this campaign, Facebook alleged that they had sent over 11 million emails to TRAI in of Free Basics.
The Net Neutrality ers endured solicitous about this offensive campaign from social media giant, Facebook.
However, TRAI called it As a Trick!
After the date of consultation paper ed, TRAI asked Facebook to get in touch with all these people, as none of them had responded the 4 questions that TRAI had asked in the consultation paper. TRAI even attempted to reach these s, but all the emails fired back.
The questions put by TRAI were:
Question 1: Should the TSPs be allowed to have differential pricing for data usage for accessing different websites, applications or platforms?
Question 2: If differential pricing for data usage is permitted, what measures should be adopted to ensure that the principles of non-discrimination, transparency, affordable internet access, competition and market entry and innovation are addressed?
Question 3: Are there alternative methods/technologies/business models, other than differentiated tariff plans, available to achieve the objective of providing free internet access to the consumers? If yes, please suggest/describe these methods/technologies/business models. Also, describe the potential benefits and disadvantages associated with such methods/technologies/business models?
Question-4: Is there any other issue that should be considered in the present consultation on differential pricing for data services?”
Let’s take a look at the citations of what TRAI told Facebook!
1. TRAI’s Response (In Consultation Paper)
Whether the Facebook s have informed the decision in ing Free Basics and whether Facebook had conveyed their s with the true facts.
Response: Facebook gave a reason that TRAI’s email address was not working…Here TRAI completely mocks Facebook here.
2. TRAI indirectly calls all the templatized responses a fake (not in specific words)
3. TRAI received only one Legitimate Response
In the latest letter, TRAI included the 4 questions from the consultation paper along with templatized responses by 11 million (or 16 million) Free Basics ers. TRAI goes to say that they received only one legitimate response which was already ed on TRAI website.
The best part was left for last. TRAI literally warned Facebook for making a farce of the whole consultation process and said it can have “dangerous ramifications”.
Salute TRAI and the people behind drafting such an excellent response. They have mitigated no words in describing spade, a spade!
You can check Full text of TRAI’s letter to Facebook here:
Most of us in India don’t have a good impression on the Government when it comes to getting work done. We have a general impression that they are incapable and inattentive when it comes to executing their responsibilities. As of now, we can see have been changing in India and the response to Facebook is a fabulous example.
