Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday favoured net neutrality and wrote to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chairman to safe guard the basic principle of the same.
Maintaining that the IT sector today at the top of the State Government’s agenda the Chief Minister said, “It is a matter of pride that the growth rate of IT exports from the State is more than the national growth rate for the past many years. The State Government is also implementing a number of e-governance projects including ‘Digital India.’ The internet forms the crux of our upcoming projects in this sector and therefore, I am concerned about the basic principles of this medium.”
Patnaik said his Government is trying to extend its services to the people through this medium because it is effective and inexpensive. “I do not agree with the thought that this is a compartment meant for the elite only. Present usage of the net seems to encompass everyone, rich or poor, particularly the younger people.”
The CM pointed out that the word ‘free’ is being misused in the ongoing debate over the issue. The word ‘free’ should not be confused with the word ‘freedom’.” He said the Internet is not the market-place but the market is made inside the internet.