THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 30, 2017- Topic 1

A neutral Internet

The struggle to keep the Internet freely accessible to all got a welcome shot in the arm on Tuesday. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) finally came out with clear guidelines in favour of Net neutrality that are consistent with its earlier stand on Facebook’s Free Basics proposal. After consultation papers issued in May 2016 and this January, the regulator reiterated that there cannot be discriminatory treatment of websites on the Internet by service providers.

 In particular, TRAI warned providers against the practice of blocking certain websites and tinkering with content speeds. This, in a nutshell, means that service providers such as telecom companies cannot stand in the way of a consumer’s access to content that would otherwise be provided to her without any undue hindrance. They cannot, for instance, charge consumers for access to certain content, or receive payment from websites promising greater promotion of their product over the rest. Quite notably, TRAI’s decision comes in the wake of international focus on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s decision to scrap regulations on service providers imposed during the Obama administration. While batting for the right to an open Internet, however, TRAI has been careful to allow some exceptions that allow companies to discriminate between content if it helps them regulate the flow of traffic or offer “specialised services”.

While TRAI’s new guidelines will help the cause of building the Internet as a public platform with open access to all, the concerns of service providers should not be dismissed altogether. The Internet has spread all over the world, so widely that many believe it is now an essential good. But the infrastructure that serves as the backbone of the Internet has not come without huge investments by private service providers. So any regulation that severely restricts the ability of companies to earn sufficient returns on investment will only come at the cost of the welfare of the public. In this connection, TRAI has been open to adopting a nuanced view that differentiates between various forms of content instead of imposing a blanket ban on all forms of price differentiation. The new policy, for instance, will still allow companies to justify the costs incurred in providing niche content to consumers. At the same time, TRAI’s measured response is likely to effectively address the problem of anti-competitive practices adopted by certain providers. Interestingly, it has left it, with important caveats, to the government to decide on services that count as “specialised” and deserve exceptional treatment by regulators. To this end, a proper mechanism needs to be instituted to make sure that the exceptions are not used as loopholes by the big Internet players. Policymakers will also need to think hard about creating an appropriate legal framework to prevent the capture of regulation by special interests.

Vocabulary

Struggle: make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction.

Example: Before she could struggle, he lifted her up

Synonyms: fight, grapple, wrestle, scuffle, brawl, spar, scrap

Accessible: able to be reached or entered.

Example: The town is accessible by bus

Synonyms: reachable, attainable, approachable, obtainable, available

Consistent: unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time.

Example: Manufacturing processes require a consistent approach

Synonyms: constant, regular, uniform, steady, stable, even, unchanging

Reiterate: say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity.

Example: She reiterated that the administration would remain steadfast in its support

Synonyms: repeat, say again, restate, retell, recapitulate, go over

Discriminatory: making or showing an unfair or prejudicial distinction between different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

Example: Discriminatory employment practices

Synonyms: prejudicial, biased, prejudiced, preferential, unfair, unjust, invidious

Tinker: attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way, often to no useful effect.

Example: He spent hours tinkering with the car

Synonyms: fiddle with, adjust, fix, try to mend, play about with, fool with, futz with

Hindrance: a thing that provides resistance, delay, or obstruction to something or someone.

Example: A hindrance to the development process

Synonyms: impediment, obstacle, barrier, bar, obstruction, handicap

Scrap: a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used.

Example: I scribbled her address on a scrap of paper

Synonyms: fragment, piece, bit, snippet, shred, offcut, oddment, remnant

Altogether: completely; totally.

Example: I stopped seeing her altogether

Synonyms: completely, totally, entirely, absolutely, wholly, fully, thoroughly

Content: in a state of peaceful happiness.

Example: He seemed more content, less bitter

Synonyms: contented, satisfied, pleased, gratified, fulfilled, happy

Niche: a shallow recess, especially one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament.

Example: Zeno built a tall wall with about 20 niches for statues of gods and goddesses behind the stage.

Synonyms: recess, alcove, nook, cranny, hollow, bay, cavity

Exceptional: unusual; not typical.

Example: Crimes of exceptional callousness and cruelty

Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, abnormal, atypical, extraordinary, out of the ordinary

Appropriate: suitable or proper in the circumstances.

Example: A measure appropriate to a wartime economy

Synonyms: suitable, proper, fitting, apt, right, relevant, pertinent, apposite