Google is discussing the idea of ‘zero rating’ with some app developers about reduction and possible cost elimination of data, reports India Today. The search giant is reportedly planning for this with companies like Flipkart, Redbus, Olacabs and others. Under this ‘zero rating’ plan, mobile networks will not charge for a pre-specified amount of data consumption on certain apps or internet services. However, its not yet clear which app makers and mobile networks Google plans to tie-up with for this. As we have pointed out in the past, by selectively giving access to sites for free companies essentially ensure that consumption for some portals become free and some remain paid. Given that the Indian consumer is cost-conscious they’re likely to lean towards what is cheaper. Three principles of Net Neutrality: Rule 1: All sites must be equally accessible: ISPs and telecom operators shouldn’t block certain sites or apps just because they don’t pay them. No gateways should be created, in order to give preferential discovery to one site over another. Rule 2: All sites must be accessible at the same speed (at an ISP/telco level): This means no speeding up of certain sites because of business deals. More importantly, it means no slowing down (throttling) of some sites. Rule 3: The cost of access must be the same for all sites (per Kb/Mb or as per data plan): This means no “Zero Rating”. In countries like India, Net Neutrality is more about cost of access than speed of access: all…
