Update: The Department of Telecommunications has released its final report on Net Neutrality . You can find it here (pdf). The DoT has said that Internet services dealing with messaging should not be interfered with regulatory instruments. However, it added regulation for communication services which use VoIP needs to be deliberated as there is a regulatory arbitrage, where such services bypass the existing licensing and regulatory regime creating a non-level playing field between telecom operators and Internet services which compete for the same service provision. The report also said that TRAI should look at zero rating plans on a case-by-case basis. The DoT also said that managed and enterprises services can be exempt from Net neutrality requirements. Earlier: There should be regulatory or licensing restrictions imposed on domestic Internet telephony, and that Zero rating should be allowed on a case by case basis, suggests a yet-to-be-released Department of Telecom committee report on Net Neutrality, obtained by MediaNama from sources. The committee also allows enterprise and services over internet protocol to be treated separately from public Internet, and not governed by Net Neutrality principles. Interestingly, it singles out Internet.org, over almost a page and a half, saying that "content and application providers cannot be permitted to act as gatekeepers and use network operations to extract value even if it is for an ostensible public purpose", while at the same time, saying that the telecom regulator TRAI should consider gatekeeping by telecom operators via Zero Rating on a case by case basis. The report clearly favors Airtel's point of view…
