Few points here:<p>1. It&#x27;s not really internet. It&#x27;s a set of 100 sites that includes a real estate portal and a personal blog. If you are talking about connecting the unconnected with essential services, why have these on your list? On the other hand, chennairains.org, a website that helped people during extreme floods in chennai was not on that list.<p>2. There is no proof that &quot;free basics&quot; actually improves internet connectivity. In fact, Facebook&#x27;s telecom partner (Reliance Comm) advertises it as a way to save money for surfing on facebook and whatsapp.<p>3. None of the traffic must be encrypted<p>4. All traffic flows through facebook&#x27;s servers<p>5. It&#x27;s not an open platform. Facebook and Telcos reserve the right to accept or deny websites on &quot;Free Basics&quot;<p>The above points make it clear that &quot;free internet&quot; is a facade and it&#x27;s more of a walled garden that makes facebook the gatekeeper. Another Telco launched something similar a few months ago and was scrapped because it violated net neutrality.<p>Arguments that &quot;free basics&quot; is required for internet to grow in India are ridiculous. India added _52 Million_ internet users in the first six months of 2015 (<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com&#x2F;2015-09-03&#x2F;news&#x2F;66178659_1_user-base-iamai-internet-and-mobile-association" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com&#x2F;2015-09-03&#x2F;news...</a>)