Facebook is urging users to lobby India’s telecoms regulator in defence of its Free Basics service which the social media giant claims could be banned “within weeks”.

The company is urging users to send a prepared email to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in support of the service.

Facebook recently expanded the reach of the Free Basics app, which is a product of the internet.org initiative, to the whole of India. It is partnering on its rollout with local operator Reliance Communications.

But the service has run into opposition from net neutrality advocates. A debate has been raging about so-called zero-rating plans, which allow users to access some apps without paying data charges.  Mobile operators and Facebook have been forced to defend the initiatives, claiming they are offered in a non-discriminatory manner. But opponents claim they violate net neutrality.

Facebook’s message to users claims “a small, vocal group of critics” are lobbying to have Free Basics banned. If successful, the lobbying would impact the one billion Indians who can’t afford access to the internet without initiatives such as Free Basics, it argues.

TRAI issued a consultation paper on differential data pricing on 9 December, inviting comments by 30 December.

“It (Free Basics) helps those who can’t afford to pay for data, or who need a little help with getting started online. And it’s open to all people, developers and mobile networks,” says Facebook’s prepared email.

“With 1 billion Indian people not yet connected, shutting down Free Basics would hurt our country’s most vulnerable people,” it adds.