NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] U.S. government "rescinds" 'leave internet alone' policy
----- Forwarded message from Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> ----- Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:06:07 -0500 From: Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> Subject: [IP] USG rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy Reply-To: dave@farber.net To: ip <ip@v2.listbox.com> Begin forwarded message: > From: Richard Forno <rforno@infowarrior.org> > Date: February 26, 2010 9:06:56 PM EST > To: Undisclosed-recipients: <>; > Cc: Dave Farber <dave@farber.net> > Subject: USG rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy > > Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/27/internet_3_dot_0_policy/ > > US government rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy > > By Kieren McCarthy > > Posted in Networks, 27th February 2010 00:06 GMT > > The US government’s policy of leaving the Internet alone is over, ac > cording to Obama’s top official at the Department of Commerce. > > Instead, an “Internet Policy 3.0” approach will see policy discussions > between government agencies, foreign governments, and key Internet > constituencies, according to Assistant Secretary Larry Strickling, with > those discussions covering issues such as privacy, child protection, > cybersecurity, copyright protection, and Internet governance. > > The outcomes of such discussions will be “flexible” but may result in > recommendations for legislation or regulation, Strickling said in a > speech at the Media Institute in Washington this week. > > The new approach > (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/presentations/2010/MediaInstitute_02242010.html > ) is a far cry from a US government that consciously decided not to > intrude into the internet’s functioning and growth and in so doing a > llowed an academic network to turn into a global communications phen > omenon. > > Strickling referred to these roots arguing that it was “the right po > licy for the United States in the early stages of the Internet, and the > right message to send to the rest of the world.” But, he continued, > “that was then and this is now. As we at NTIA approach a wide range of > Internet policy issues, we take the view that we are now in the third > generation of Internet policy making.” > > Outlining three decades of internet evolution - from transition to > commercialization, from the garage to Main Street, and now, starting in > 2010, the “Policy 3.0” approach - Strickling argued that with the > internet is now a social network as well a business network. “We must > take rules more seriously.” > > He cited a number of examples where this new approach was needed: end > users worried about credit card transactions, content providers who want > to prevent their copyright, companies concerned about hacking, network > neutrality, and foreign governments worried about Internet governance > systems. > > The decision to effectively end the policy that made the internet what > it is today is part of a wider global trend of governments looking to > impose rules on use of the network by its citizens. > > In the UK, the Digital Economy Bill currently making its way through > Parliament has been the subject of significant controversy for > advocating strict rules on copyright infringement and threatening to > ban people from the internet if they are found to do so. The bill > includes a wide variety of other measures, including giving regulator > Ofcom a wider remit, forcing ISPs to monitor their customers’ behavior, > and allowing the government to take over the dot-uk registry. > > In New Zealand, a similar measure to the UK’s cut-off provision has > been proposed by revising the Copyright Act to allow a tribunal to fine > those found guilty of infringing copyright online as well as suspend > their Internet accounts for up to six months. And in Italy this week, > three Google executives were sentenced to jail for allowing a video that > was subsequently pulled down to be posted onto its YouTube video site. > > Internationally, the Internet Governance Forum – set up by under a U > nited Nations banner to deal with global governance issues – is due to > end its experimental run this year and become an acknowledged ins > titution. However, there are signs that governments are increasingly > dominating the IGF, with civil society and the Internet community s > idelined in the decision-making process. > > In this broader context, the US government’s newly stated policy is > more in line with the traditional laissez-faire internet approach. I > nternet Policy 3.0 also offers a more global perspective than the is > olationist approach taken by the previous Bush administration. > > In explicitly stating that foreign governments will be a part of the > upcoming discussions, Strickling recognizes the United States’ unique > position as the country that gives final approval for changes made to > the internet’s “root zone.” Currently the global Internet is dependent > on an address book whose contents are changed through a contract that > the US government has granted to the Internet Corporation for Assigned > Names and Number (ICANN), based in Los Angeles. > > ICANN recently adjusted its own agreement with the US government to > give it more autonomy and now reports to the global Internet community > through a series of reviews. Strickling sits on the panel of one of > those reviews. > > Overall, this new approach could enable the US government to regain the > loss of some of its direct influence through recommendations made in > policy reports. But internet old hands will still decry the loss of a > policy that made the network what it is today. ® ------------------------------------------- Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/ Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com ----- End forwarded message -----