Net neutrality with so many unconnected people is a red herring for a couple of reasons:

1. Free Basics is less of a walled garden than a low chain link fence with an open gate. The idea that adopters will remain ignorant of the “free and open” Internet is unlikely at best. If diffusion of innovation has taught us anything it's that it just takes a few people with full access to show others without and draw comparisons to dispel such ignorance.
2. Net neutrality enjoys strong support amongst Internet users. Net Neutrality’s best hope for broad based democratic support is therefore to increase Internet penetration. Free Basics was a well resourced plan to lower the barriers to adoption and as such it was self defeating to net neutrality advocates to ban it at this time. Had they waited, there wouldn’t have been any fight and Internet penetration would have likely increased more swiftly.