Mark Zuckerberg defends Facebook's motives in free internet project in India

Two days from the end of potentially damaging public consultation on net neutrality, Facebook's founder dismissed accusations that Free Basics service is anti-competitive

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has vigorously defended his company's motives for rolling out free basic internet services across India, dismissing what he called "false claims" by critics who say its Free Basics service promotes a "walled garden" controlled by Facebook.

In an opinion piece published by the Indian newspaper the Times of India, Zuckerberg equates internet access to education and health provision, claiming it could help relieve the poverty of one billion people in India who are not currently online.