Why India rejected Facebook's 'free' version of the Internet

It's hard to remember, but things looked good for Facebook's ambitions in India last fall.

"India has 600,000 villages, and most people get scared when they hear this number. My vision is to connect them all with optical fiber cable in the next five years," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a town hall with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in September 2015.

Zuckerberg had begun the session by reciting India's importance in the history of Facebook. He said he was once unsure about his company's future, and his mentor, Steve Jobs, suggested he visit a temple in India, where he would find his answers, which Zuckerberg did. The revelation instantly struck a chord, not only with the prime minister, but also with many Indians watching the session online. Read more...