In India, Fierce Opposition Builds Against Facebook's Free Basics

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#1
Net neutrality, is the base to against the initiative? The free access should be extended to all sources, rather than only FB, but how to fund the cost? Hmm...?

In India, Fierce Opposition Builds Against Facebook's Free Basics

An unprecedented resistance is building up in India against Facebook FB +0.00%’s Free Basics program as students, startup entrepreneurs and an ever-growing number of internet users join the protest. India’s telecom regulator has already ordered Facebook’s program be put on hold while it takes a final decision on the subject of differential pricing, a move by some telecom providers to provide free internet access through programs such as Free Basics.

Free Basics is the high-voltage Facebook-led coalition that seeks to improve internet access in emerging markets like India by offering select content and services for free.

The critics of Free Basics say the battle is a fight for Net Neutrality, the notion that no one company or authority should be allowed to restrict access and that all users get equal access to all websites. The outcome of the India battle will influence the fate of Facebook Inc founder Mark Zuckerberg’s pet project in dozens of smaller countries around the world where the understanding about Free Basics is feeble and the internet giant is likely to forcefully influence the widespread adoption of the program.
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http://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2...ee-basics/
“夏则资皮,冬则资纱,旱则资船,水则资车” - 范蠡
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#2
The problem is Free Basic is not truly 'free' and this is not corporate charity, but FB and Zuckerberg consistently deny it. Rural users are in effect paying for this through their usage patterns as the data is likely to route through FB's servers. If they admit this, then the discussion revolves around a matter of choice (a full fledged internet service versus a limited, AOL-like service).

As for funding the cost, many countries (Singapore is the exception) has something called the universal services fund, which a portion of their revenue is set aside to improve connectivity and accessibility in areas where it does not make economic/business sense. There are also other options such as Project Loon by Google.
You can count on the greed of man for the next recession to happen.
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