NTIA’s Strickling Talks Internet Governance at State of the Net Conference

Despite this progress, it is clear that there are still those who oppose our efforts to maintain an open Internet and the free flow of information across the globe. In fact, the same week the United Nations reaffirmed its support for the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance, China held its own World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen at which the government appeared to return to its previous stance that Internet governance was the responsibility of governments. The statement issued at the end of the conference was notable for not including any mention whatsoever of the multistakeholder approach.

As we begin 2016, what do we see as the landscape for Internet governance this year?

  • Will we complete the IANA stewardship transition this year? There is a lot riding on this question. First, of course, we want to preserve and strengthen the multistakeholder coordination of the Domain Name System through ICANN. Second, the efforts to date represent the largest multistakeholder process ever undertaken. Not only will ICANN be stronger as a result of this effort but a successful outcome here will serve as a powerful example to the world that the multistakeholder model can solve difficult issues regarding the Internet.
  • Will the multistakeholder model expand to meet the needs of the developing world? With its new ten-year mandate, the IGF is poised to play a major role here if the global Internet community takes up the challenge. This will also be an important year to determine if the NetMundial Initiative can become a useful resource. It has been handicapped from the start by its failure to make a compelling case to attract the support of the business community and the Internet Society. Its initial funding runs out this summer so it does not have much more time to demonstrate what value it can provide.
  • Where is China in the Internet governance debate? It has participated in ICANN – it even served on the first two accountability and review teams and Minister Lu Wei has said supportive things about the multistakeholder model in the past. But does the recent Wuzhen conference indicate that China intends to go its own way on these issues, more in line with its recent statements about the cyber sovereignty of nations and the need for multilateral, not multistakeholder, Internet governance?
  • And finally, can the multistakeholder model be used effectively to address Internet policy issues that come up in the context of privacy, cybersecurity and other issues where governments historically have had a mandate to act? For our part at NTIA, we have been utilizing the multistakeholder process the past few years as an alternative to traditional legislation and regulation and we will continue to do so this year with respect to work on drones, cybersecurity, privacy and copyright issues.

NTIA’s Strickling Talks Internet Governance at State of the Net Conference