The Digital Hartal

The Internet Hartal (Netizen's Strike) message flowing all over the net in last 3 days, is going to happen today 31^st October 2014. In a time where internet is as good as literacy, government should be in support to try and make internet free so as more and more people of India can get the access to the huge platform. But it is sad to see that the telecom companies are not interested about the better future of nation and what people are getting with the popularity of internet. Instead, they are taking it as an addiction and are increasing rate of data plans.

Protesting is a good option to stand up against them, but it would have been even better if one of the new companies comes up and offer better plans and we people can switch to it, so as to give the clear message to every telecom company that we do have the power to rule you.

Read Ahead the extract from Indian Express:

In a first-of-its kind, the district unit of the Communist Party of India has appealed through social media to boycott internet-usage for one day on October 31. The ‘digital- hartal’, is a protest against the indiscriminate hike in prices by internet service providers.

The district secretary of the CPI, A Narayanan said, the telecom companies have been increasing the rates of internet packages without reason. The government of India should step in to regulate the price structure to bring credibility to the government’s goal of reducing the digital gap and create smart cities.

Narayanan lamented that telecom operators had increased mobile Internet rates 100 per cent in the June-September period across the country. This has especially adversely affected smart phone users. The hartal is to vent anger against these telecom operators by boycotting the use of Internet on October 31, Narayanan said and added “Our party will extended full cooperation in the fight against telecom operators in the district.  This is the first time, we have plunged ourselves on a digital platform.”

 ‘WhatsApp’ users seem to be at the forefront of this agitation. Its users are messaging each other of the need to be united and fight the internet price hike. Some college students said, “If the telecom companies keep hiking the rates of Internet packages, then we will have to stop using the Internet and not use any applications. We will also not recharge our data packs on that day.” 

“We want to send a clear message to the operators that we are not addicted to Internet,” said Rajesh an engineering student.

News Source: Indian Express – Tamil Nadu Published: 30th October 2014 06:14 AM