TRAI's support for Net neutrality comes as an adaptation to backing the constitutional principles in the emerging era of Internet.
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How does net neutrality uphold constitutional values?
Equality - The government, as a trustee of public interest, is bound to device mechanisms for an equal distribution of resources.
Net neutrality, by facilitating a free and open Internet, contributes to equality in the use of a common resource that has almost become an essential good.
It has ensured that there are no technical imbalances in a way of distorting equality and reasonableness.
Liberty - The Internet is now affordable to millions of Indians without the traditional costs of distribution.
The non-discriminatory principle for Internet content through net neutrality has upheld the liberty of making choice by the user.
Speech and Expression - Allowing citizens the benefit of plurality of views and opinions on public issues is an essential component of the right to free speech.
Net neutrality thus defends the freedom of speech and expression by ensuring both the right to express and the right to receive information.
What is the emerging significance?
A content in Internet today is potential of sparking a spontaneous campaign, mobilising huge crowd, roping in civil society and even necessitating governmental intervention.
In this context, the ideas of equality, reasonableness and liberty are more than mere limitations on state power in favour of individuals.
They can transform into more meaningful doctrines when put into motion by the positive actions of the regulators and governments.
The whole concept of Net neutrality is one way of positive actions that has tuned constitutional doctrines to the needs of the modern world.
It comes as an indication of deepening participatory democracy in an emerging digital era by retuning the nature of constitutional values.
