Governance
17 April 2007
Scrap the internet, start over Sydney Morning Herald
Although it has already taken nearly four decades to get this far in building the internet, some university researchers with the US federal government's blessing want to scrap all that and start over. The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on September 2, 1969.
14 April 2007
ITU Activities Related to Management of Internet Names and Addresses International Telecommunications Union
In regards to the ITU's role with regard to international public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and the management of Internet resources, including domain names and addresses, a questionnaire has been developed that aims to initiate a consultation amongst the ITU membership and other relevant stakeholders. The consultations will be used to prepare and submit proposals, based on those consultations and contributions from the ITU membership, to the 2007 session of the Council, through the Working Group on WSIS. As the next meeting of the WG-WSIS is scheduled for 13-14 June at ITU Headquarters, comments and contributions should be submitted by 25 May 2007. More information including links to the resolution and questionnaire are available.
13 April 2007
Is the Internet Ready to Break? Baseline
The growth of video and broadband access will require new investment, technology and thinking to keep it healthy according to a report in Baseline by Edward Cone. The story is based on a report by the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) group at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The report itself notes under "Reaching the limits of cyberspace" that "[t]he assumption that bandwidth cost must continue falling endlessly may have to change if the Internet is not to run out of capacity in 2007. Traffic volume is likely to continue growing rapidly throughout the year, and the rate of growth may even accelerate sharply, due to the growing transmission of video files." On the expansion of net traffic, the Baseline story notes "[t]he report notes that daily traffic at the Amsterdam Internet Exchange ... will reach two petabytes by October, almost double the usage in February 2006; traffic at the Amsterdam exchange for all of 2007 is expected to reach one exabyte, 'equivalent to 500 times the data stored in all U.S. research libraries.'"
10 April 2007
World Information Society Report 2007: Beyond WSIS - Coming soon! ITU Newslog
The second edition of the World Information Society Report: Beyond WSIS is going to be launched on the occasion of the World Information Society Day on 16 May 2007. Published by ITU and UNCTAD, this report looks beyond the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS, Geneva 2003 - Tunis 2005) to the creation of an inclusive, people-centered and development-oriented Information Society, open to all.
13 March 2007
uk: POSTnote - Internet Goverance (pdf) United Kingdom Parliament
There is increasing international debate on 'Internet governance', which encompasses a variety of public policy issues related to internet infrastructure, management and use. This POSTnote describes the structure of the Internet and summarises the debate over its management. It also discusses the prospects for its international governance, following the first meeting of the UN-sponsored Internet Governance Forum.
09 March 2007
Who is ICANN and Where Does it Fit With Internet Governance? by Kieren McCarthy ICANN Blog
You'd be surprised how many people are asking that question at the moment, but you won't be surprised to know that the only thing they agree on is that they either don't know, or that they disagree with the people that believe they do. I am not going to attempt to provide my own answer, but I will point to a paper just released by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST).
21 February 2007
Internet is beyond political control: Cerf The Hindu
This article in The Hindu quotes Vint Cerf saying "It is a huge, new democratic opportunity and beyond any one agency's political control." Further, "Nations had tried to control portions of the Internet for their own national goals -- but the Net is too ubiquitous for any single agency to throttle, Dr. Cerf said. "No one owns the Internet -- but there must be some agencies to make it work."
16 February 2007
Internet Governance Forum: Is It More Than Talk? by Monika Ermert Intellectual Property Watch
This article in Intellectual Property Watch examines the IGF and reports on its current status noting several of the coalitions formed at the first IGF presented short progress reports at the meeting this week in Geneva. The article notes "the new UN Secretary General has yet to make his first comments on Internet governance issues." The article outlines some of the groups involved and the issues they will be highlighting such as the A2K@IGF Coalition. Towards the end ICANN gets a mention, quoting Riaz Tayob who noted that "the issues of root servers, domain name servers and Internet Protocol are among the most important issues in Internet governance," and that "if they are absent from the agenda, the core issues are absent." It was noted that ICANN and the ITU should be invited to give an update at every session.
eu: Proposed legislation called a threat to Internet users' privacy International Herald Tribune
European governments are preparing legislation to require companies to keep detailed data about people's Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive.
31 January 2007
Is Net Neutrality A Myth? Forbes
Like any complex entity that developed over time, the Internet has its own creation story. And like any creation story, it is grounded in realities and myths. An important new paper argues that one of these myths is playing a powerful role in shaping debate over what's become known as network neutrality--the notion that Internet providers must treat all the data they transport in the same way. ... But in "The Myth of Network Neutrality and What We Should Do About It," Robert Hahn and Robert Litan of the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies argue that, contrary to the claims of regulated neutrality proponents, "all bits of information are not treated equally from an economic standpoint." They argue that "the Internet is not end-to-end now and was never designed to be strictly neutral."
27 January 2007
Lack of space may force world wide web to implode The Times
Massive demands being placed on the internet could soon see the network run out of web addresses, technology experts, including Vint Cerf, said yesterday at Davos. The internet was being threatened by mounting technological challenges, including increasingly malign software viruses and "botnets".
23 January 2007
The Fragile Network by Bill Thompson Circle ID
One of the more persistent founding myths around the internet is that it was designed to be able to withstand a nuclear war, built by the US military to ensure that even after the bombs had fallen there would still be communications between surviving military bases. It isn't true, of course.
19 January 2007
U.S.: No Net governance changes expected CNet
CNET reports that two of the Bush administration officials involved in setting internet policy have denied there are any tensions relating to the US government's role in the internet. David Gross and John Kneuer said at a recent meeting no UN body would exercise additional control over tasks such as "handing out numeric Internet addresses or operating the root servers that power the Internet anytime soon." Recent reports on the new ITU head being more interested in issues such as cybersecurity and the digital divide, while future IGF meetings would focus on issues such as "freedom of speech and multilingualism." Due to criticism of the US government's "undue influence over the day-to-day operations of the Internet" by countries such as Tunisia, Cuba, Iran and China, CNet wonders if the ITU will continue with its latest view.
U.S.: No Net governance changes expected CNet
Are tensions related to the United States' historic influence over key Internet management functions a thing of the past? At a meeting in Washington DC organized by the Federal Communications Bar Association, U.S. Ambassador David Gross and Assistant Secretary of Commerce John Kneuer said they view the question as settled: no United Nations body will be exercising additional control over tasks like handing out numeric Internet addresses or operating the root servers that power the Internet anytime soon.
15 January 2007
UN telecom not eying Internet control The Guardian
The United Nations will not try to take the lead in determining the future of the Internet, the head of the UN telecommunications agency has said. Hamadoun Toure, a Malian who was elected director-general of the International Telecommunication Union in November, said the agency would be just one of many organizations involved in shaping the Internet's development.
14 December 2006
Emerging Markets Look to Up Internet Use by Andrew A. Mack AllAfrica.com
About a month ago I was in Athens attending the first annual IGF. Delegates from around the world had come together to discuss the future of the Internet and specifically, how to provide more access to the web in Emerging Markets. ... What I heard from my seat in Athens was that emerging markets delegates are indeed dissatisfied-but not about the Internet domain name system. They are angry that their own governments are not cultivating environments that attract new investment. They are disgusted by the cozy relationships between legacy telecoms and regulators which stifle the growth of new Internet Service Providers.
07 December 2006
Who governs virtual worlds? CNet
Who governs virtual worlds? As games like World of Warcraft, Second Life and EverQuest grow and develop more sophisticated communities, that question will become more and more important. So much so that a group of experts appearing Friday at the fourth annual State of Play/Terra Nova symposium at New York Law School here spent nearly two hours putting the subject in context.
05 December 2006
What's in an 'i'? Internet governance International Herald Tribune
This article in the IHT begins with a discussion at the recent ITU conference in Turkey that wanted to lower-case the 'i' in Internet. David Gross from the US State Department didn't know whether this was significant or not. He ended up believing the move was insignificant, although others were of a differing opinion, believing this was the latest move for the ITU to gain control of the Internet. Debate on who should control the internet is often controversial, with the role of ICANN continually questioned, especially amongst those from smaller and/or third world countries. Smaller/third world countries often say an international body taking over ICANN's role is the only way for them to have a say in the DNS structure. However Paul Twomey says "Internationally, the world will see that the U.S. government is beginning to walk the talk ...The transition is now in the hands of the international community."
27 November 2006
3 Jolting Statements at the IGF by Assoc Prof Ang Peng Hwa Singapore Internet Research Centre
A/P Ang Peng Hwa is surprised at those who continue to say that (i) the internet is working fine, (ii) that therefore it needs no governance and (iii) that the phrase “internet governance” should not exist. On the first point, he raises the point that many governments feel uneasy that the internet to any one particular country could be cut off by a decision of the US government. Second, that “governance” is not “government” and the differences between them. And third, the US dominance of the internet may not be such a good thing. Point 2, raised by Lynn St Amour President, ISOC, who says in part that the discussion needs to go back to the “national level, local level, participation in the forms that are available to you, that are important to you as an individual” while Ang Peng Hwa who says in part “Taking away the Forum and moving such meetings to the national and local levels would only reduce the quality of the discussion when was is needed is higher, not lower quality.” And third, Vint Cerf who Ang Peng Hwa says “there cannot be competition at the root zone, that ICANN is a “natural monopoly” not in the strict economic sense but because of the requirements of the system—there can only be one root.” Further, “Cerf, however, misses a major point—in the good old USA as well as significant portions of the civilised world, there is only on way to handle monopolies—regulate them. This is precisely the issue of internet governance. If ICANN is indeed an inevitable monopoly, then it inevitably invites regulation. Anything less would not be transparent or fair.”
Internet Governance Forum Report 2: Why The Need for IG by Assoc Prof Ang Peng Hwa Singapore Internet Research Centre
A/P Ang Peng Hwa is surprised at those who continue to say that (i) the internet is working fine, (ii) that therefore it needs no governance and (iii) that the phrase "internet governance" should not exist. On the first point, he raises the point that many governments feel uneasy that the internet to any one particular country could be cut off by a decision of the US government. Second, that "governance" is not "government" and the differences between them. And third, the US dominance of the internet may not be such a good thing. Point 2, raised by Lynn St Amour President, ISOC, who says in part that the discussion needs to go back to the "national level, local level, participation in the forms that are available to you, that are important to you as an individual" while Ang Peng Hwa who says in part "Taking away the Forum and moving such meetings to the national and local levels would only reduce the quality of the discussion when was is needed is higher, not lower quality." And third, Vint Cerf who Ang Peng Hwa says "there cannot be competition at the root zone, that ICANN is a "natural monopoly" not in the strict economic sense but because of the requirements of the system -- there can only be one root." Further, "Cerf, however, misses a major point -- in the good old USA as well as significant portions of the civilised world, there is only on way to handle monopolies -- regulate them. This is precisely the issue of internet governance. If ICANN is indeed an inevitable monopoly, then it inevitably invites regulation. Anything less would not be transparent or fair."
26 November 2006
ITU Conference signals enhanced international cooperation in ICT: Plenipotentiary Conference endorses expanded mandate for ITU International Telecommunication Union news release
The 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference wound up Friday evening by setting out a road map for the Union to chart its future course as the pre-eminent world body for telecommunications and state-of-the-art information and communication technologies (ICT). It endorsed ITU's essential role in Bridging the Digital Divide and ensuring the continued expansion of global communication networks. The Conference renewed focus on implementing the outcomes of the WSIS. Over 2000 participants from 164 countries, including more than one hundred ministers attended the Plenipotentiary Conference, the supreme organ of ITU which meets every four years, and lent their support to the future work of the Union. The conference focused on a number of key issues: ITU's role in Implementing the outcomes and action lines of WSIS; Enhanced cooperation among the membership on international public policy issues related to the internet, such as internationalized domain names, to build bridges within the internet community and in the intergovernmental process.
Forward the online revolution BBC
We all have the power to shape the networked world, argues regular BBC commentator Bill Thompson. Over the last 20 years the global economy has been shaped and reshaped by computers and the growing reach of the internet as a public communications network.
25 November 2006
How engineers tamed the internet's Tower of Babel The Guardian
At the IGF last month, a bespectacled Swede made a small, barely noticed announcement that nevertheless represented a pivotal moment in the history of the internet. "Regarding the technical implementation for the world wide web, we are done," Patrik Fältström told the Internet Governance Forum. By "we are done", he meant that following a decade of hard work by a global consortium of engineers and linguists, they had finally decided on a document that will enable all the world's languages to be fully represented on the internet. People will be able to type in addresses in their own language, search in their own language and move around the internet in their own language.
23 November 2006
Internet Governance Debate Poses Unique Global Challenges Center for Democracy and Technology Policy Post
To that end, it may be useful to discuss whether the goals and milestones established nearly a decade ago for ICANN on its path to full autonomy remain adequate in the face of a drastically different global environment. Certainly the goals of fostering stability, competition, representation and private, bottom-up coordination remain as relevant today as they were eight years ago, but in light of recent developments it is important for the Internet community to at least ask whether reaching all of those milestones (something ICANN has yet to accomplish) would be sufficient cause to cut the tether between ICANN and the US Government.
20 November 2006
ICANN Seeks Input on Improving Transparency and Accountability Center for Democracy and Technology
A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online from The Center For Democracy and Technology that addresses: ICANN Seeks Input on Improving Transparency and Accountability; Preliminary Recommendations Focus on Transparency; Reform Process Must Not Be Rushed.
