Enlarge / Facebook’s Free Basics app for India, which was banned by the country’s net neutrality rules. (credit: Facebook)

Facebook is considering whether to launch a mobile application in the United States that would provide free access to a selection of websites, according to a Washington Post report today.

Facebook has been talking to White House officials about how to roll out the Free Basics program in the US without inviting regulatory scrutiny, the article said, attributing the information to anonymous sources. The Free Basics application provides access to a variety of websites—including Facebook and Facebook Messenger—without counting against customers’ data caps, so Facebook would also need cooperation from US mobile operators.

“The US version of Free Basics would target low-income and rural Americans who cannot afford reliable, high-speed Internet at home or on smartphones,” the Post reported.