freebasics

FB has shutdown Free Basics program in India. RCom, which is the only distributor of Free Basics will soon start charging for the service. Subscribers will have to pay applicable data charges for accessing websites or apps through the zero-rated Free Basics platform, once technical modifications are done.

Facebook claims that it has support from 11 million people for its Free Basics program, while TRAI has received only 1.89 million votes. FB has to bring support from the rest of 9 million people by today, but FB is unable to reach out to people who had responded via missed calls or emails.

“Consultation papers are not opinion polls. We are not getting an opinion poll… Consultation paper always asks a question, seeking responses with justification. We expect stakeholder who participate in the process to provide meaningful inputs to us”, says TRAI chairman.

The notice was sent 2 weeks back, but Reliance is yet to stop the service. Lately, Facebook has been several tricky and unethical means to garner support for Free Basics (a.k.a Internet.org), while the truth remains that Free Basics is a walled-garden approach and will kill innovation and Internet freedom.