[governance] ZDNet: UN plans Internet governance amid outcry to defund ITU +

Wed Jan 16 12:27:40 EST 2013

http://www.zdnet.com/un-plans-internet-governance-amid-outcry-to-defund-itu-
7000009882/ (with multiple links).

UN plans Internet governance amid outcry to defund ITU

Summary: U.N. telecom arm ITU coordinates new internet governance plans; a
petition demands ITU's U.S. funding stop, including donors Apple, Verizon,
Cisco and more.

Violet Blue

By Violet Blue for Pulp Tech | January 16, 2013 -- 11:35 GMT (03:35 PST)

A petition to de-fund the U.N.'s telecom arm emerges just as the ITU readies
to hammer out internet governance plans at the World Telecommunication
Information and Communication Technology Policy Forum meetings in February
and May 2013.

The website De-fund the ITU surfaced on the January NANOG (North American
Network Operators' Group) email list. 

Its Whitehouse.gov petition De-fund the ITU demands the U.S. government stop
its financial contributions to the ITU.

It comes after the ITU's recent attempt at internet governance and
monetization through tolls at its WCIT-12 summit in Dubai last month.

The U.N. debacle prompted widespread internet outrage, an unprecedented
unanimous U.S. House of Representatives vote in opposition, and refusal from
55 countries to sign the ITU's treaty.

No matter - as usual, the ITU has its own plans.

Five days ago ITU's Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré released the fourth and
final ITU/WTPF-13 report outlining groundwork for internet governance (and
internet regulatory topics) at upcoming meetings on February 6-8 and May
14-16.

Discussions at WTPF-13 will be based on this report and will serve as the
sole working document of the Forum.

The ITU/WTPF-13 report explicitly includes the creation of "Global
Principles for the governance and use of the Internet" and resolving issues
pertaining to "use of Internet resources for purposes that are inconsistent
with international peace, stability and security."

The Report explains the current multistakeholder model of internet
governance is "under discussion" and acknowledges that members Cisco, U.K.,
U.S., and ISOC view the current governance of the Internet as "sufficient."

However, "with regards to international Internet-related public policy, the
role of one stakeholder  Governments  has not been allowed to evolve."

For the Policy Forum, the ITU also has 64 "informal Experts" weighing in.

The "experts" are comprised mostly of Member State telecom representatives
(UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, others), plus individuals representing the
interests and opinions of Verizon, Cisco Systems, British Telecom, the FCC,
The Internet Society, ARIN, ICANN, and PayPal.

Who funds the ITU?

The website promoting the petition, defundtheitu.org, provides details and
ITU funding summaries showing which countries contribute to the ITU and the
tech companies (Member Sectors) that provide millions to continue the ITU
(and its subgroups) respective missions.

According to The ITUs 2012-2015 membership roll and dues one Contributory
Unit is equivalent to CHF 318,000 (1 Swiss Franc equals $1.10).

Currently the US pays 30 Contributory Units (nearly $11 million per year) to
the ITU as does Japan, making the two countries its top donors. Other big
contributors include Germany at 25 units, Italy: 15, Saudi Arabia: 13,
China: 12, UK: 10, Russia: 10.

Member Sector donations contribute additional monies to ITU subgroups.
American Member Sector companies include Apple, AT&T, Cisco, Intel,
Motorola, Sprint, Verizon and many more.

(Member Sector entities pay self-elected Contributory Units for ITU-T, R and
D participation currently set at one-tenth what Member States pay - 31,800
Swiss Francs per "member" contributory unit per sector.)

Financial support for ITU is also provided by the U.S. in that international
organizations - namely the ITU and its employees - are exempted from U.S.
Federal tax withholding (Exhibit 5.19.11-13: International Organizations
Exempt from Federal Withholding Requirements).

WCIT-12 outrage, ITU duplicity, and aftermath

One month ago the U.N.'s ITU held its World Conference on International
Telecommunications (WCIT-12) in Dubai, where Member States proposed
revisions to the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR) - to
expand jurisdiction over the Internet, such as creating pay-per-use tolls,
heightening surveillance, and to give nation states increased control over
the Internet.

Global opposition created an epic backlash, fueled by the ITU's insistence
to keep conference documents from the public - despite ITU's insistence its
process was transparent.

In response to ITU's secretive processes researchers at George Mason
University created WCITLeaks, a website that solicited and shared copies of
leaked WCIT/ITU documents.

As WCIT-12 unfolded, leaked proposals revealed plans from Russia, China, and
similar regimes for an ITU-supported play at WCIT-12 to define the internet
as a system of government-controlled networks, among other deeply disturbing
intents.

Democratic and free speech organizations joined internet giants in the
outcry, such as Google with its Take Action campaign, and the formation of
country blocs included the U.S., the European Parliament, Canada, Mexico and
more.

    See also: U.N. readies for protests on eve of secret Internet regulation
treaty

At WCIT conference end, the ITU went back on its specific promises that the
treaty would not be about the internet and would not be put to a vote.

Eli Dourado is a co-founder of WCITLeaks and was a member of the US
delegation to WCIT-12. In Behind closed doors at the U.N.s attempted
"takeover of the Internet" Dourado wrote,

    The purpose of the meeting, claimed ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun
Touré, was simply to update the treaty that governs international phone
calls; it had last been revised in 1988, when most phone companies were
state-owned monopolies. Claims that the conference would implicate the
Internet were part of a misinformation campaign pursued by unnamed opponents
of the ITU, Touré said.

Dourado described how the ITU forced its treaty agreement with a vote that
it insisted was not a vote:

    (...) What followed was surreal. The Chairman calmly said that he had a
long list of countries wishing to speak, and that in lieu of going through
the list, he was going to take the feel of the room by asking countries to
hold up their voting boards if they supported the resolution as amended by
the Secretary-General. After also asking for those against, the Chairman
said simply, The majority is with having the resolution in. After some
applause, he added, Thank you. Now we can go to Corrigendum 2.

    There were immediate inquiries from the UK and Spain as to whether we
had just decided the issue by a vote. We had been promised, after all, that
there would be no votes, that all decisions would be decided by consensus.
In response to the UKs inquiry, the Chairman replied, The majority agreed
to adopt the resolution as amended. In response to Spains, the Chairman
answered, No, it was not a vote, and I was clear about it. Thank you,
Spain.

De-fund the ITU claims,

    Their goal was a coup: to overthrow the open and transparent system of
Internet governance that ensures the Internets freedom and accessibility,
and replace it with their own central point of absolute control, through
which policies of censorship and repression could be enacted.

The U.S. and 54 countries revolted and refused to sign. This prompted
subsequent headlines that claimed the ITU had failed its attempt at an
Internet power-grab, and that the treaty was defeated.

Meanwhile, some the 89 signing countries hurried home to begin
implementation of the problematic new treaty.

At The Internet Society's Post-WCIT Roundtable panel on December 21, U.S.
Ambassador Terry Kramer, head of Delegation WCIT-12, expressed serious
concern about what will happen as the 89 governments move toward treaty
implementation.

Amb. Kramer unequivocally stated that, "the ITU needs to step back from
governance and content." He cautioned the room that America may have taken a
stand against the treaty, but that "the U.S. does not own the internet."

Kramer said, "The internet must be left alone."

If the De-Fund The ITU petition and movement is successful in the U.S., the
ITU stands to lose 7.7% of its budget.

It could indeed hurt the slippery organization, which has had to increase
the dollar amount of Contributory Units as membership and elected
contributions have dwindled over the past decade.

And if Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré's ITU/WTPF-13 far-reaching internet
governance report is any indication, ITU needs the internet now more than
ever.

One thing is certain: the internet does not need the ITU.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/de-fund-itu/mSJ49QcV?utm_source=wh
.gov
<https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/de-fund-itu/mSJ49QcV?utm_source=w
h.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl>
&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Created: Jan 11, 2013

Issues: Budget and Taxes, Foreign Policy, Technology and Telecommunications

Signatures needed by February 10, 2013 to reach goal of 25,000

24,709

Total signatures on this petition

291

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