Parliamentary panel to summon Meta, X, Google, Amazon over net neutrality concerns

NEW DELHI: India’s debate around net neutrality is getting a fresh reboot, with Parliament now preparing to put some of the world’s biggest tech and telecom players under the scanner.According to ANI, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology chairman Nishikant Dubey on Monday said the panel would summon major digital platforms including Meta Platforms, X, Google and Amazon as part of its wider examination into equal internet access and consumer rights.

The move follows concerns that differential services for premium or paying users could chip away at the principle of net neutrality, the idea that all internet users should receive equal access without preferential treatment.

Speaking after the committee meeting held on May 26, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology chairman Nishikant Dubey said the panel was examining whether telecom firms and online platforms were offering varying levels of convenience and access depending on subscription type.

“We have to look after 140 crore people. All of them should get equal rights,” Dubey said, stressing that internet access should align with constitutional guarantees of equality and consumer protection.

The meeting agenda included a briefing by the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on telecom service quality and consumer safeguards, with a particular focus on net neutrality.

Dubey said the panel had not yet reached any conclusions but was studying whether prepaid users may be receiving fewer benefits compared to post-paid subscribers. He noted that nearly 90 per cent of telecom consumers in India are prepaid users.

“There is a network. The government decides the licensing conditions of the network,” Dubey said, adding that the committee had received indications that some operators may be offering enhanced conveniences to post-paid customers.

The scrutiny is also expected to stretch beyond telecom operators and into the digital subscription economy. Dubey pointed to premium features offered by social media and technology platforms, suggesting the committee would examine whether paid models create unequal user experiences online.

“For example, if you give some money to ‘X’, you get more freedom to write, and others get less freedom. We have called all of them,” Nishikant Dubey said.

Sources cited by ANI said members of the panel also raised questions around “network slicing”, a feature recently introduced by a private telecom operator for post-paid users. The concern is whether differentiated network access could violate the principle of non-discriminatory internet usage. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is expected to provide further details to the committee.

The parliamentary panel is likely to hold two or three more sittings before finalising its observations on net neutrality, telecom service quality and consumer protection. For now, the message from the committee appears clear: when it comes to the internet, Parliament does not want fast lanes for a privileged few and buffering wheels for everyone else.