You have 11 days to present your case against net neutrality

MUMBAI, INDIA: The countdown has begun.

Net Neutrality, that has taken the country by storm, threatens to convert into a positive tsunami with thousands of Netctivists fervently urging the e-citizens to present their case.

Leading the revolution is none other than Mahesh Murthy, CEO, Pinstorm, who is actively advocating the case on the social media. And he has left no stone unturned. Here’s how you can participate:

1. Sign this petition over at https://www.change.org/p/rsprasad-trai-don-t-allow-differential-pricing-of-services-let-consumers-choose-how-they-want-to-use-internet-netneutrality and share it with your friends.

2. Write directly to TRAI at advqos@trai.gov.in. He has also provided a template for the email.

Dear TRAI, I am writing to express my concern against the actions that telecom carriers are taking against Net Neutrality. Zero Rating Apps are one of these neutrality-breaking moves.

I believe the Internet is a vital resource-if telecom operators can determine which apps I use for free and which I cannot, because of their secret backroom deals- this creates an environment that is deeply anti-competitive and deeply anti-consumer.

India is an inclusive country, and we cannot have such elitist structures on the internet. We have to allow the open Internet, where consumers and entrepreneurs can be free to market and use any and all apps, without the burden of knowing which apps have free bandwidth pre-paid and which don't.

I am writing to ask you to demand net neutrality from telcos and specifically disallow Zero Rating Apps from all Internet Service Providers

Regards, {Your Name}

3. (Revised on Apr 12) Go over to http://savetheinternet.in-a site put together by some of our friends who care deeply about this. TRAI has asked 20 questions in their Consultation Paper-here is a set of answers you can send them for each of those questions.

4. Write to the management at Google and Twitter to get them off any and all Zero Rating apps, including Airtel, so that they don't encourage rapacious telcos.

5. If you're part of an industry organization like FICCI, CII, Assocham, IMC or others, get them to lobby on behalf of consumers and entrepreneurs around India. Ask them to put forward a simple message - yes to net neutrality and no to zero rating apps.

6. Spread this message by sharing this piece on LinkedIn, and ironically on the culprits Facebook, Twitter & Google Plus. Let's get all their members to see how evil their apparently-friendly social networks can be.

7. Get this message to your MP, and / or to Ravi Shankar Prasad or Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Make sure they know you care deeply about net neutrality and get them to legislate that neutrality-breaking activities cannot be allowed in India.

It must be recalled that the debate over net neutrality in India started with the launch of Airtel Zero, its new platform to offer consumers preferred access to certain apps. Flipkart was the first large e-commerce organization to sign up for Airtel Zero, angering netizens.