Facebook is believed to be in talks with the U.S. government and wireless carriers to extend its "free" internet program to the country. The social media giant's Free Basics project is already operational in several countries. However, it has not always met a warm welcome, as in India.

Like Us on Facebook

The U.S. version of the program is likely to target rural and low-income segments of the population. According to a Pew Research Center study, 15 percent of the adults in the United States have options apart from a cellphone for accessing the internet. About 48 percent of the users relying upon mobile internet have reportedly canceled or suspended their services due to its cost.

The introduction of the plan in the United States is likely to re-ignite the long-running Net Neutrality debate as it offers priority to Facebook's services. To avoid regulatory scrutiny, Facebook is said to be avoiding collaborations with leading telecom carriers. It is instead focusing on small and regional carriers to carry out the program.

The Free Basics program allows users to access Facebook and a few other services without using their data plan. However, the program has the potential of being misused by favoring certain services and businesses over others, thus creating an uneven playing field. The service was banned in India due to such concerns. It ran into trouble in Egypt as well.

Facebook has declined to comment on the report that the service is coming to the U.S., stating that it has "nothing to announce."