What Can India Teach Us About Protecting Net Neutrality?
India’s journey with net neutrality offers valuable insights into the challenges and impacts of this principle in the digital era. In 2018, the country enacted some of the world's most stringent net neutrality regulations, prohibiting internet service providers from favoring or throttling specific online content. This landmark achievement marked a major victory for activists and consumers alike. Yet, an important question lingers: how has India’s experience evolved since then?
The push to safeguard net neutrality in India was led by the “Save the Internet” movement, a coalition of civil society organizations and consumers. The regulations ensured equal treatment for all internet data, fostering an open and inclusive digital space. This progress was celebrated as a cornerstone for innovation and equitable access to information.
However, albeit robust, the implementation of these rules has faced persistent challenges. Telecommunications service providers (TSPs) have lobbied for regulatory changes to gain more control over traffic and pricing. They frequently cite the need for “equal rules for the same services” and concerns about economic sustainability to support their case.
Since the adoption of net neutrality, internet usage in India has skyrocketed. Data costs have plummeted, and average consumption per user has surged from 89 MB in 2015 to over 21 GB in 2023. These trends demonstrate that net neutrality not only supports economic growth but also stimulates fair competition and broader access to digital services.
Nonetheless, telecom companies argue that net neutrality limits their ability to recover infrastructure investments. Some advocate for fees targeting OTT (over-the-top) platforms, claiming these services disproportionately benefit from the ecosystem without directly contributing to its maintenance.
Despite these successes, the risk of setbacks persists. Proposals to weaken net neutrality, such as differentiated fees – or “Fair Share” models – for content providers, periodically resurface. Such measures threaten to fragment the internet, favoring large corporations that can shoulder higher costs while stifling innovation, burdening small businesses and startups, and raising expenses for end users.
India’s experience underscores the critical role of clear regulations and active public engagement in preserving net neutrality. For countries like Brazil, where debates over “Internet tolls” are gaining momentum, India serves as a powerful example. Net neutrality is more than a technical policy – it is a fundamental principle that ensures a democratic, accessible digital environment, drives innovation, and strengthens the digital ecosystem.