Mark Zuckerberg Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai? (Why is Mark Zuckerberg Angry?)

 Advertorial that appeared in Times of India on 7 January, 2016

In every society, there are certain basic services that are so important for people well-being that we expect everyone to be able to freely access them.

Very true Mr Zuckerberg. You live in a society which has pension, free healthcare and a host of other benefits.  Special benefits for senior citizens. We don't.  Here in India we lack basic services like water and sanitation and food.  

We have collections of free basic books. They're called libraries. They don't contain every book, but they still provide a world of good.

Really Mr Zuckerberg I am not sure you realise that India speaks in several languages. Are you saying your free library has books in every language. Or are you passing down some English classics that are free even on Kindle and Google?

We have free basic healthcare. Public hospitals don't offer every treatment, but they still save lives.

What kind of healthcare Mr Zuckerberg?    Only public hospitals in India can offer free healthcare.  That only the Government of India can do, not the Internet.  We are not like the US economy, where billions of dollars are spent on public healthcare.

We have free basic education. Every child deserves to go to school.

Sure every child deserves to go to school.   Are you suggesting they can learn from Facebook?

Over the last year Facebook has worked with mobile operators, app developers and civil society to overcome these barriers in more than 30 countries.

Which 30 countries Mr Zuckerberg or is it a secret?  Please don't compare us with some countries in Africa.  The task for India is quite different.  Google search so far shows only plans for 17 countries in Africa including for Nigeria, Gabon, DRC and Niger  https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2015/11/airtel-facebook-launch-free-basics-services-in-17-african-countries/ 

More than 35 operators have launched Free Basics and 15 million people had come online

Which 35 operators? 17 countries in Africa are being serviced by Airtel Africa.  A preliminary google search shows no other countries or operators who have launched Free Basics. Which are the other 13 countries and 34 operators?Surprised you are touting a number like 15 million to a country like India.  Do you know how many people are online in India already?

Instead of giving people access to some basic internet services for free, critics of the program continue to spread false claims - even if it means leaving behind a billion people.

Mr Zuckerberg, 400 million people are already connected to the Internet in India.  462 million will be connected to the Internet by June 2016. These are figures released by TRAI.  I don't know what you mean by saying we are leaving behind a billion people.

Who could possibly be against this?

Mr Zuckerberg, you are wrong in assuming that there are groups of people against this. Or companies. Or VCs. Or vested interests.  It is people like me who are against this.  Educated, independent minded people who know about the internet and understand what is going on.

Right now the TRAI is inviting the public to help decide whether free basic internet services should be offered in India.

Mr Zuckerberg, have you seen the language TRAI ( Telcom Regulatory Authority of India ) uses to invite  public comments. Even a PHD wouldn't understand what they are saying.  Here is a sample paragraph from TRAI.

" "Non-discrimination” as defined in Clause 2(k) of the TTO is that service provider shall not, in the matter of application of tariffs, discriminate between subscribers of the same class and such classification of subscriber shall not be arbitrary. Clause 10 of the TTO provides that no service provider shall, in any manner, discriminate between subscribers of the same class and such classification of subscribers shall not be arbitrary. The provisions of TTO (33rd Amendment) inter alia provides that whenever differential tariffs are offered, it shall be the responsibility of the operators to define in a transparent and unambiguous manner, the eligibility criteria for availing such differential tariff. The Authority would consider such criteria to assess their consistency with the provisions of TTO relating to the non-arbitrary classification of subscribers.”

I don't know about the average American but the average Indian wouldn't understand what that meant.

Prabhakar Mundkur is an independent brand & marketing consultant.  He has experience across a wide range of categories from fmcg, healthcare, technology, durables to corporate brand strategy.  

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