[governance] [IGP-ANNOUNCE] IGP Newsletter, Vol 1.03

Tue Aug 22 13:10:40 EDT 2006

======================================
Internet Governance Project Newsletter
======================================
...current events in Internet Governance and the activities of the Internet Governance  Project.
http://www.internetgovernance.org

Volume 1.03
August 22, 2006

========
Contents
========

[1] ICANN Gets IANA Again, US Keeps Control  [2] IGF Undergoes First Major Test  [3] IGP  Proposes IGF Workshops  [4] DoC Ignores the Rest of World? [5] Civil Society Converges on  IGF  [6] IGP launches Chinese website  [7] Net neutrality work at OECD  

==========================================================
[1] ICANN Gets IANA Again, US Keeps Control (This is news?) 
==========================================================

The US government on Wednesday announced its renewal of the IANA contract with ICANN for a  one-year period, with an option for four more years. Many news reports about this event  were inaccurate, confusing the IANA contract with the Department of Commerce Memorandum  of Understanding that provides oversight for ICANN's policy making functions. For an  informed report from IGP on the substance and significance of this development, click  here. <http://internetgovernance.org/news.html#ianarenewal_082206>

==========================================
[2] The IGF Undergoes its First Major Test 
==========================================

The new Internet Governance Forum's agenda has proven to be so generic (Openness, Access  Diversity, Security) that no one knows what will transpire in its Plenary sessions. The  real agenda-setting action will be in the Forum's parallel "workshops," 90-minute sessions  on particular topics. The workshop proposals force stakeholder groups to work together,  and the review and selection of the proposals forces the IGF to make decisions. Workshops  are thus the first big test of the viability of the multistakeholder model and the  capacity and impartiality of the Secretariat and its Advisory Group. There may be pressure  from some interest groups to avoid certain topics deemed sensitive or controversial -- but  if the IGF cannot discuss the real issues of Internet Governance, what is the point of its  existence? The deadline for Workshop proposals is August 24, and decisions about which  ones are accepted are expected by mid-September.  

==============================
[3] IGP Proposes IGF Workshops 
==============================

Co-sponsoring with the Government of Brazil and the Third World Network, IGP has proposed  a Workshop on "New Technical and Policy Challenges in DNS Root Zone Management." The  workshop will feature two root server operators (VeriSign and Sweden's Autonomica), an  IETF DNSSEC expert, developing world governments, and policy analysts. Recent technical  developments pose a number of new problems for root zone management that need to be  discussed. The workshop will focus on three of these issues: 1) the attempt to secure DNS  via DNSSEC; 2) new applications such as IDNs, IPv6 and ENUM; 3) proposals to multi- lateralize root zone oversight. IGP is also proposing a workshop on free expression that  will feature U.S. Ambassador David Gross, civil society advocacy groups, and governmental  representatives. 

===============================================
[4] IGP Campaign on Root Control Shifts Opinion
===============================================

A global email campaign by IGP generated comments from 32 countries in seven regions,  including Asia, Africa, North & South America, the Caribbean and the Middle East against continued unilateral U.S. control of the DNS root.  While IGP’s official filing offered a detailed rationale for that position, the IGP website provided a simple means for individual Internet users to transmit that message to the USG. And according The Register (UK), half of the comments critical of the USG, including several from ccTLD operators and others in the technical community, incorporated the IGP language.  In the final analysis, 87% of relevant comments received called for transition toward a new model of governance. However, while public response this lopsided would make any reasonable public-steward think twice, the DOC recently renewed its continued authority over the IANA function via ICANN, the key point of leverage for DNS root control. 

==================================
[5] Civil Society Converges on IGF 
==================================

About 20 members of civil society advocacy groups and several government representatives  attended a special experts meeting on the Internet Governance Forum in Geneva July 20-21.  The meeting was organized by the Consumer Project on Technology, the Third World Network  and the South Centre. IGP's Milton Mueller and Jeanette Hofmann were invited participants.  Also among the attendees were IGF MAG member Robin Gross of IPJustice; Markus Kummer and  Chengetai Masango of the IGF Secretariat; scholars William Drake and Michael Froomkin;  Yale ISP Director Eddan Katz; CP Tech director James Love; Georg Greve of the European  Free Software Foundation; Heather Ford of iCommons; Carlos Affonso de Souza of iCommons  Brazil. IGP partner Milton Mueller claimed that the meeting was "the first real strategic  intersection of Internet governance and A2K (Access to Knowledge) activists." The group  had fruitful discussions with the IGF Secretariat on the function of the Forum; e.g., the  difference between "binding" documents and norm negotiation, and discussing problems vs.  developing solutions collectively, and on the suitable criteria for submitting papers and  workshop proposals.

================================
[6] IGP launches Chinese website
================================

The Internet Governance Project announced today that its website is now available in  Chinese. "We view it essential that one of the world's largest Internet user community  have access to the global debate on Internet governance," said IGP Operations Director  Brenden Kuerbis. "In anticipation of the upcoming Internet Governance Forum, all  individuals, the private sector and governments must have access to objective analysis of  issues of freedom of expression, content filtering, and competition policy surrounding  critical network resources."  While only providing limited translation at this point, IGP  plans to publish translations of key papers prior to the Forum.    

===============================
[7] Net neutrality work at OECD
===============================

During the month of September IGP partner Milton Mueller will be in Paris working as a  visiting scholar at the OECD. He plans to develop a paper there on the application of WTO  reference paper principles to Internet interconnection issues. 

=========================
Subscription Information
=========================

Subscribe/unsubscribe from the IGP-Announce mailing list via web interface:
http://internetgovernance.org/subscribe.html

===============
Privacy Policy
===============

The IGP-Announce mailing list is used only to mail IGP news announcements.
We do not sell, rent or share our mailing list.  We do not enhance (link to other databases) our mailing list or require your actual name.

In the event you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe your e-mail address from this list, please follow the above instructions under "subscription information."

Internet Governance Project
http://internetgovernance.org
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance