The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), has called upon the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to reject the submission made by 130 startups on net neutrality. As per reports, COAI said the content of this submission, is “based on false pretence and misinformed views”. They also termed the letter as “propaganda activism” and “fear-mongering”.
In recent weeks, startups and telecommunications companies have been debating over network fee collection proposals from over-the-top (OTT) companies.
According to startups, this contradicts net neutrality principles.
In September 2023, in an open letter, the founders of over 120 startups, including the likes of Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha and Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm, urged TRAI to uphold the principles of net neutrality and refrain from implementing any discriminatory measures. Among other things, such moves could lead to excessive regulation of internet services and also impact the smaller players heavily.
According to reports, a letter dated October 4 from COAI’s Director General Lt Gen (retd) SP Kochhar to the TRAI Chairman rebuts this argument, asserting that the proposed network fee will not be levied on startups or smaller OTT players.