Net neutrality: Facebook replies to savetheinternet's latest campaign

NEW DELHI: Facebook has said it attempted to cooperate with the Telecom regulator's request to submit specific responses to the differential pricing paper by delivering a request for additional information, and that it got 1.4 million Indian users' responses.

ET had reported that the volunteer-led group savetheinternet's latest campaign is urging people to email and ask Facebook why it failed to inform users about a letter the telecom regulator wrote to the social network seeking specific responses to questions asked in the differential pricing paper about its Free Basics initiative.

"TRAI requested that we reach out to these Free Basics supporters to ask them to also answer the specific questions raised by the consultative paper. We are not aware of a similar request having been made to any of the other commenters who did not answer these specific questions," said a Facebook spokesman.

Facebook further said: "Nevertheless, we attempted to cooperate with their request. While we did not include all of the specific language drafted by TRAI, we did deliver a request for additional information and included in the draft email the exact language from the four specific questions posed in the consultation paper."

Trai also made public on Tuesday night, a series of communications between itself and Facebook.

The Facebook spokesperson said that more than 1.4 million Indians responded by submitting revised comments that addressed the four specific questions asked by Trai in its consultation paper that has rekindled a huge debate about net neutrality in the country.