We have a stellar line-up of speakers, and as always, a great set of attendees for MediaNama’s discussion on ‘App Bans and Network Fees’, being held in Delhi on August 10, 2023. We also have a list of reads to familiarise you with TRAI’s latest consultation paper on online communications bans, which explores net neutrality and licensing of online messaging as well.
Date: Thursday, August 10, 2023
Time: 12:30 PM to 5:15 PM
Venue: The LaLit, Delhi
This discussion is being organised with support from Google and Meta, and in partnership with CCOAI, the Centre for Communications Governance at the National Law University (Delhi), the Centre for Internet and Society, and The Internet Freedom Foundation.
Agenda and confirmed speakers
- 12:30 – 01:30 PM Registration and Lunch
- 01:30 – 03:00 PM Understanding issues with banning of specific apps:
- Maknoon Wani (Council for Strategic and Defense Research)
- Samar Bansal (Lawyer)
- Aditi Agrawal (Independent Journalist)
- 03:00 – 04:00 PM Net Neutrality and collaborative frameworks between telcos and online services:
- Amrita Chaudhary (CCAOI)
- Anjali Hans (Vodafone Idea)
- Rahil Chatterjee (Ikigai Law)
- Vakasha Sachdev (Logically.AI)
- 04:00 – 05:15 PM Regulation of online messaging and calling:
- Neeti Biyani (ISOC)
- Aman Taneja (Ikigai)
- Sumeysh Srivastava (The Quantum Hub)
- Nikhil Pahwa (MediaNama)
We’re awaiting a few speaker confirmations still and will update this list when we have confirmations.
Reading List: Top Reads on OTT Regulation, Internet Shutdowns, and More
General overview
- The TRAI consultation paper on OTT Regulation [Read]
- A summary: TRAI releases consultation paper on calling and messaging app regulation[Read]
- 7 Key Takeaways From The TRAI Open House In Delhi On OTT Regulation: “National Security Should Be Embedded In Everything.” [Read]
- Live [Closed]: TRAI Open House Discussion on OTT Regulation – Delhi [Read]
- Support for Net Neutrality in India’s Draft National Digital Communications Policy [Read]
Session 1: Understanding Issues with Banning OTT Communication Apps
- Manipur High Court recommends partial lifting of internet ban and providing internet services through restricted channels and “whitelisted” numbers. [Read]
- MP Pradyut Bordoloi contemplates introducing a private member’s bill on Internet shutdowns. [Read]
- A Parliamentary panel report on cybersecurity proposes a whitelisting framework for lending apps. [Read]
- In its 2021 Anuradha Bhasin verdict, the Supreme Court rules that indefinite Internet shutdowns are illegal, while laying out transparency procedures for the government to follow during shutdowns. [Read]
- The Centre for Internet and Society’s Co-Founder Pranesh Prakash explains the various issues with how Section 69A orders are being executed in India currently. [Read]
- India tops the list of most Internet shutdowns for the fifth year running, with 84 in 2022. [Read]
- Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology criticises the Indian government for lack of data on Internet shutdowns, and for lack of review processes on shutdowns. [Read]
- The Internet Freedom Foundation and Human Rights Watch release a report detailing the human impact of Internet shutdowns in India, titled “No Internet Means No Work, No Pay, No Food”. [Read]
- Calcutta High Court rules that the West Bengal government did not follow the correct procedures while ordering shutdowns in the state last year. [Read]
- Panelists at a MediaNama event question whether Indian courts are doing enough to question state intrusions on fundamental rights, like accessing the Internet. [Read]
- Report: A closer look at India’s website blocking practices and everything that’s wrong with it. [Read]
- Airtel uses specially configured routers to block websites: Why you should care. [Read]
Session 2: Net Neutrality and Collaborative Frameworks between Telcos and OTT communication platforms
- European Union’s proposal to get Big Tech to pay interconnection fee threatens net neutrality. [Read]
- How bad policy led South Korea into a Net Neutrality nightmare [Read]
- The International Telecommunications Union’s recommendations for a collaborative OTT regulatory framework. [Read]
- Sri Lanka’s internet is a sprawling violation of Net Neutrality [Read]
- TRAI’s consultation on differential pricing. [Read]
- TRAI’s consultation paper on licensing of internet services. [Read]
- Why TRAI wants to regulate OTT platforms. [Read]
- Airtel introduces differential pricing for type of mobile Internet usage. [Read]
- On the gamble of the “sending party network pays” principle in OTT regulation. [Read]
- Telecom companies are currently required to contribute to the universal services obligation fund (now called the Telecommunication Development Fund). [Read]
- Issues associated with imposing network fees on OTT players. [Read]
- EU’s Exploratory Consultation On OTT Players Sharing Investment Costs With Telcos. [Read]
- MediaNama’s comments to TRAI on traffic management and an advisory body for Net Neutrality. [Read]
- TRAI’s net neutrality open house discussion on traffic management practices in 2020. [Read]
- Can We Expect A Neutral Consultation From The TRAI On Net Neutrality? [Read]
Session 3: Regulation of online messaging and calling
- Reliance Jio Wants Regulation for All Internet Co’s in India, Hosting in India – TRAI OTT Consultation. [Read]
- How will a licensing regime for online services in convergence framework create barriers to entry? [Read]
- Ashwini Vaishnaw On Draft Telecom Bill Regulating WhatsApp, Mandating KYC And Revealing Caller Identity [Read]
- COAI Seeks Regulation Of ‘Communication OTTs’, Not All OTTs: S P Kochhar on the Draft Telecom Bill [Read]
- The Internet Freedom Foundation’s concerns with how the Telecom Bill, 2022, approaches OTT regulation, through ‘straitjacketing’ diverse Internet platforms. [Read]
- Ten recommendations on the draft Telecom Bill, 2022: SFLC [Read]
- How The Telecom Bill 2022 Undermines The Potential of Internet: Internet Society’s Report [Read]
- Want Telco-Like Regulation For OTTs: Jio’s Submission to DoT ahead of draft telecom bill [Read]
- Reliance Jio Shares Thoughts On The Draft Telecom Bill, And They’re Worth Noting! [Read]
- Raising surveillance concerns, India’s draft Telecom Bill 2022 proposes allowing the government to intercept messages or suspend the Internet during public emergencies, if “necessary” or “expedient”. [Read]
- AIC Says No To ‘Same Service, Same Rules’ In Comments On The Telecom Bill 2022 [Read]
- Draft telecommunication bill asks for KYC on platforms like Whatsapp and Zoom. [Read]
- Telecom Department has set up a facial recognition system to address SIM card fraud. [Read]
- Mapping the impact of biometric surveillance and social media platforms on civic space. [Read]
- Varun Sen Bahl maps a framework for verification based on principles of proportionality. [Read]
- TRAI Convergence Consultation: Is there a need for a separate convergence framework? [Read]
- Ten issues raised by TRAI in its convergence consultation and what’s wrong with them. [Read]
- Cloud Service Providers Write To DoT Opposing TRAI Recommendations. [Read]
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Update: Added an additional entry to Session 2’s reading list.
