What worked in the Battle of #NetNeutrality

The recent events around TRAI's disastrous attempt to undermine Net Neutrality have been reassuring for those invested in India's democratic development. I think the Indian middle class earned a well deserved victory against big corporates, as well as against the blundering and now-compromised regulator, TRAI and its head, Rahul Khullar. The people spoke, and the regulator had to listen, albeit late. Perfect example of mass public participation in infrastructure regulation. 

Over the last couple of days, as behemoths like Airtel, TRAI, Flipkart and NDTV knelt, humbled and afraid, in front of the people's resentment, I was reminded of what my father often says: आवाज़-ए-ख़ल्क़, नक़्क़ारा-ए-खुदा। The people's choice is the roar of God. Such an amazing victory for all of us. 

Now, even as our bumbling buffoons of regulators were on the wrong side of history, our recent research work will be on the right side. When India's favourite comedians come out against you and strike a deadly blow to your proposal as well as how it was put forward (the infamous 118 pages!), you know you're on the wrong side of history. 

For the last year and a half, I have been part of a research project on people's participation in electricity regulation. It has been reassuring to know the role that public participation can play in infrastructure regulation in light of this recent debate. 

Here are some thoughts on what worked for the #NetNeutrality debate:

1. A simple slogan: The battle of Net Neutrality was won over social media, primarily driven by India's urban middle class. A short description that can become a hashtag was one of the strengths. What should be the slogan of the campaign to improve India's regulators? #PowerOverPower? #PeopleOverSarkariRegulators? 
2. A focusing event: The #NetNeutrality debate would not have reached fever pitch had there been no event bringing people's attention to it. The consultation document precipitated a crisis and the people rose up to counter the threat of regulatory capture by corporates, before April 24th. What can be a similar event for electricity regulation? Can we get people's attention over some event about to happen in the next few months? 
3. A Rallying Emotion: The rallying cry for the warriors of #NetNeutrality was fairness. Equity for new participants, rather than cartels and cabals that work for the elite. What is the rallying cry for sensible regulation in our sector? A lamp in every home? Children studying in the dark? What will be the rallying emotion to get better electricity regulators, someone outside the hallowed world of ex-IAS babus of those states? 
4. Young over the old: This victory was just as much of India's young comedians and thought-leaders over the old ex-IAS babus, as it was for fairness. It was an eye-opener for millions of youth that we cannot trust our elders to take the right decision. Can we make an argument that India's youth will not anymore countenance retired babus as regulators? 

To me, these 4 ideas explain why this battle was won so quickly and smoothly. Can we harness the same 4 ideas to make a case for better regulation, and in the process, improve how India's market interacts with India's polis? 

Another point that worked was Videos over consultation documents. The AIB video and other commentators lampooned Mr Khullar's 118 page consultation document, so much so tht #118Pages became an example of the ridiculousness of our government. 

Why doesn't our government (other than the PM!) talk in the people's language? Why didn't TRAI have its twitter feed talking about stuff? Why wasn't the consultation document presented in a video? 

In our research project, my team talks of how India's electricity regulators are bound by sarkari-rules, and all documents are bound in legal-ese. 

This spat between the captured regulator, TRAI, and India's citizens should tell our sarkari babus the need to engage with the young population in the way they speak.