The Telecom Commission on Wednesday approved net neutrality rules as suggested by Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and new telecom policy.
"The Telecom Commission (TC) approved net neutrality as recommended by Trai, except some critical services that will be kept out of its purview. The Commission also approved the new telecom policy," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters here.
The net neutrality prevent service providers from discriminating against internet content and services by blocking, throttling or granting them higher speed access.
However, some issues of critical applications or services like remote surgery and autonomous cars will be kept out of the purview of net neutrality framework.
Trai in November 2017 had recommended upholding the basic principles of net neutrality and prohibited internet service providers from making any discrimination in internet access.
“Internet access services should be governed by a principle that restricts any form of discrimination or interference in the treatment of content, including practices like blocking, degrading, slowing down or granting preferential speeds or treatment to any content,” Trai had said in its recommendation to the DOT.
The Telecom Commission also gave its nod to the new telecom policy, which also dubbed as -- National Digital Communications Policy 2018.
The policy aimed to attract $100 billion by 2022, will now go to the Union Cabinet for final approval. The policy is coming at a time when the telecom sector facing financial crises with mounting debt that has crossed more than Rs 8 lakh.
Promising rationalisation of levies such as spectrum charges to rejuvenate debt-ridden telecom sector, the new policy seeks to provide broadband access to all with 50 mbps speed, 5G services and create 40 lakh new jobs by 2022.
The Commission also gave its approval for installation of around 12.5 lakh Wi-Fi hotspot in all gram panchayats with viability gap funding of around Rs 6,000 crore by December 2018