International debate over the future of the Internet
The Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) did however manage to put forward four possible proposals which will be presented at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
These proposals ranged from no change to a complete overhaul. BBC News provided an overview of the options to be debated at WSIS in Tunisia in November this year.
The first option is to create a UN body called the Global Internet Council which will replace the US in its oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Addresses (Icann), a group that runs the online address system.
Option two proposes no change other than to strengthen Icann and to create a forum for debate of Internet related issues.
The third option shifts control of the system from the US and places it in international hands with the formation of an International Internet Council. Icann will have a narrower more technical role.
The last option is to create three new group to cover the address system, one for debate and the last for “Internet-related public policy issues”.
The debate over the future of the Internet has become a contentious issue with the recent announcement from the US that they intend to continue to oversee the Net’s core administrative body.
A report in The Washington Post stated that the US Department of Commerce announced earlier this year that it would retain control over changes to a simple text document called the root zone file. This file holds the master pointers for translating numbers into Web locations.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Addresses (ICANN) is expected to take full responsibility for the administration of the addressing system when it separates from the Department of Commerce in September 2006.
Currently no single entity owns all 13 names servers but only 3 of those name servers are outside the US.
This situation makes developing countries like Brazil and India uneasy. Developing countries are calling for the US to relinquish control to an international body but thus far the Bush Administration has flatly refused.
The future of the Internet looks to be a hotly debate issue with the push and pull from developing countries and the US each at opposite sides of the table.
The various parties have so much at stake which should make for an interesting round of debate at WSIS in November.
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