Mint Explainer: Why has the net neutrality debate surfaced again?

livemint.com:

Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone-Idea said that they should be allowed to set a higher cost for services such as WhatsApp and Netflix. Their rationale is that these apps are among the most widely accessed and put lopsided pressure on their infrastructure, increasing their operating costs. A submission by Bharti Airtel dated 1 September read that “large traffic originators that account for a disproportionate amount of these investments must contribute a fair share" of the network cost incurred by telcos.

This cost, Airtel said, should be covered “through a direct contribution to telecom service providers (TSPs)" to meet “the vision of Digital India". Jio’s submission on the same also suggested that “both communication and other OTT players contribute towards the cost of this infrastructure development, through direct compensation to TSPs". In 2016 the government ruled in favour of net neutrality with Trai’s Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016.

The rule prevents discriminatory tariff for data services between a telco and an OTT service and therefore prevents them from striking any such deals. Now, despite telecom operators seeking a revision to these rules, reports have claimed that the government’s stance on net neutrality is unlikely to change. According to Airtel’s submission, “In order to adopt, integrate and sustain new technologies, massive investments are required in the network infrastructure on a continuous basis.