IGP's Milton Mueller and Jeanette Hofmann have been invited to attend a European Commission Hearing on Internet Governance Arrangements to be held in Brussels on May 6. The agenda focuses attention on the international dimension of “security and stability” as governments continue to use the “critical infrastructure” rubric to position themselves for a stronger role. For example, it asks whether “self-regulation for critical infrastructures and services [should] be more closely monitored by governments and relevant public authorities?”

In his submitted comments, Mueller focuses on the role of governments as conceived by the WSIS and the broader question of the role of public authorities in Internet governance. He argues that the Tunis Declaration of a preeminent role for governments in determining “public policy” and the “advisory” role of the GAC within ICANN are inappropriate arrangements for government participation in shaping the global Internet.

Instead he proposes that governments “get out of their silo” and join the rest of ICANN stakeholders as peers in policy making, that ICANN’s global governance regime should explicitly and formally yield control of purely national aspects (e.g. ccTLDs), and that insofar as governments wish to supervise ICANN globally, they should do so via globally applicable, collectively agreed treaties or laws.

Read his entire comment here.

2 thoughts on “European Commission to hold Hearing on Internet Governance Arrangements, international dimensions of security and stability

  1. Sounds interesting …
    For the first time(?), an IGP member proposes a practical change to which, in theory, USG/NTIA could just say OK, and this is a done deal.
    “ICANN should formally cede authority over
    ccTLD delegation to national governments and incorporate into its bylaws a commitment
    to passively implement delegation orders of national authorities.”
    (from the entire comment, paragraph 16)
    This means that the USG is no longer alone “authorizing changes or modifications to the authoritative root zone file” but, interestingly, this phrase (and reference) has been dropped from the background information in the latest NTIA notice of inquiry. Can we infer that the Obama administration is not as committed to this USG “historic role” as the preceding one?
    – Thierry Moreau

  2. “security and stability” is the important factors and we have to concentrate on that. To give good security and stability we should improve our law.

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