US reasserts control over the Internet
Published: 01 Jul 2005 09:20 BST
The Bush administration announced on Thursday that the US government will not hand over control of the Internet to any other organisation, a surprise move that could presage an international flap.
At the moment, the US government maintains control of the Internet's "root" — the master file that lists what top-level domains are authorised — but has indicated in the past that it would transfer that responsibility to ICANN.
The new principles, outlined by Assistant Commerce Secretary Michael Gallagher, say the US government will "maintain its historic role in authorising changes or modifications to the authoritative root zone file". In addition, the principles say, the US government will continue to maintain "oversight" over ICANN and prevent its "focus" from straying from technical coordination.
Gallagher's blunt announcement to a wireless conference in Washington DC — just a few days before ICANN's next meeting in Luxembourg — hints that the Bush administration would like to keep the Marina del Ray, California-based non-profit group on a short leash. ICANN has become the target of criticism as its budget has zoomed upward from $7m in 2003 to around $16m today.
Thursday's announcement also represents an effective snub to a United Nations process that is set to culminate in a summit in Tunisia in November. One gripe of the summit participants has been poorer nations should have more say in the way the Internet is operated.
At one level, the Bush administration's announcement is largely symbolic: while in theory the United States can influence what country codes are permitted and who will run each, it's unlikely to make any procedural changes. But the more assertive tack promises to vex nations like Pakistan and Brazil that have been critics of the United States' influence online.
About five years ago, the Commerce Department told the European Commission that "these remaining powers retained by the United States Department of Commerce regarding ICANN should be effectively divested," according to a British government report.
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