New Facebook service ignites battle over net neutrality in India

The struggle over Free Basics has evolved into a surprisingly bitter contest between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal to spread Internet access across the globe – while recruiting millions more Facebook users – and a diverse collection of Indian activists and entrepreneurs who accuse the company of creating a second-tier Internet service for people who can’t afford to pay for data. It also shows how India has become a battleground for tech giants, including Google and Microsoft, who are grappling for advantage in a country that will soon surpass the US and claim the world’s second highest number of Internet users – with two-thirds of the population yet to be reached.

Free Basics is a pre-selected suite of Internet services for healthcare, education, weather, jobs and communication – including, of course, Facebook – that the company has rolled out in more than 30 emerging markets, including India, in partnership with local telecom companies. Users get those services – which vary by country – for free but must pay for access to other sites and apps outside of Free Basics. That has led to allegations that it hinders consumer choice and violates the net neutrality principle, which requires that Internet providers don’t prioritize traffic to certain websites.