Huge setback to Free Basics as TRAI slams Facebook

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In a huge setback to Facebook’s plan to roll out Free Basics in India, the Indian telecom regulator TRAI has questioned the relevance of the 16 million comments sent by ‘Facebook users’ in support of Free Basics on a number of occasions during the consultation process which ended on 7 January this year.

In a hard-hitting letter written to the Facebook India chief Ankhi Das, the TRAI slammed her for not answering the pointed questioned raised by the telecom regulator.

It criticised Das for avoiding the questions repeatedly asked by the TRAI adding that her excuse of the TRAI email address not working did not hold water.

It said that if the email address provided by TRAI indeed did not work, then why it ‘took her 25 days’ to inform the regulator about it.

It said that the template comments that the Facebook had sent on behalf of its 16 million users did not address the questions raised by TRAI to ensure Free Basics did not violate net neutrality in India.

You can read the whole letter by clicking the link below.

201601190319214139629TRAI_letter_to_FB_dated_18_01_2016

 

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