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The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has reportedly written to the central government to control internet shutdowns in the country.

The industry body, whose members include telecom and social media companies, and digital platforms, among others, said that the internet shutdowns in the country result in “significant inconvenience to local public at large”, news agency Reuters reported.

The letter, as seen by Reuters, stated that the central government should act as the governing authority for internet suspensions. 

Currently, internet shutdowns fall under the respective states who resort to shutting down internet services for various reasons like maintaining law and order and preventing students from cheating during exams. 

The IAMAI urged that the Centre should be the governing authority for internet shutdowns, and the states must  follow the procedure laid down by it.

The letter was a part of the broader response from the IAMAI to the Centre on a consultation paper on the telecom sector, the report added.

Internet Shutdowns In India

India had over 100 internet shutdowns in 2021 which cost the country more than $580 Mn, while it suffered a loss of over $2.8 Bn due to 129 internet shutdowns in 2020, according to a report by UK-based Top10VPN. In 2019, 106 internet blackouts cost the Indian economy close to $1.3 Bn.

According to the Top10VPN report, India ranked third among countries in terms of maximum losses due to internet shutdown. India was only two positions shy of conflict-ridden countries Myanmar and Nigeria (Blackouts here lasted 12,238 and 5,040 hours respectively).

In 2021, the state governments of the country cumulatively shut down the internet for over 1,150 hours, impacting nearly 60 Mn people.

While these numbers are from independent research, the central government has maintained that it does not keep records of internet shutdowns ordered by state governments. The Centre has made it clear that it has no jurisdiction over how states and union territories influence the basic right of being able to use the internet.

The frequent internet shutdowns in the country affect the daily activities of offices (especially, people working from home), PoS on offline stores, and tech-focussed sectors such as ecommerce and aggregator businesses of food and ride-sharing, among others.

Many have also argued that internet bans violate basic human rights. The IAMAI, in the letter which is not in the public domain yet, said that the rapid digitisation of everyday mundane activities has made it impossible for users to sustain without the internet.