Andy Sullivan wrote:
> By Andy Sullivan
> The United States is headed for a showdown with much of the rest of
> the world over control of the Internet. President Bush says he doesn't
> care.
> Countries like China, Brazil and Iran don't like the fact that the
> world's only superpower oversees the system that guides traffic across
> the global computer network, and have pushed for an international body
> to take over that role.
The actual specifications for directing internet connections are
somewhat simple and therefore US claiming control over it is
ridiculous. Just like telephone connections are not controlled any
more by one entity, we sure can decentralize internet control. In the
meanwhile the open-source community can try to comeup with some kind
of protocols which will give the user the ability to choose internet
control the way they want it. If many people start using these new
ways what can USA do ? We have already seen the power of p2p
protocols!!! It is the content that is important in the internet. How
to get to that content is not that difficult and should not fall under
the power of any greedy entity.
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I quite agree that method would be
best. We do not see one giant telco running telecom. We see many
telcos doing their thing; what prevents any of them from disconnecting
all the others (of which they disapprove)? The simple fact that the
users would not permit it. People have grown accustomed to calling all
over the world and won't have it any other way. So whether they like
to or not, the telcos all cooperate with each other. Why don't we hear
the same wimpering about telco that we now hear all the time about
internet, i.e. 'we must have one governor lest another governor is
likely to squelch speech and thoughts.' Well, the hell you say! That
nonsense comes from the same people who are likely in the next minute
to tell us how they would 'route around' whatever ills behooved
them. If every country in the world had its own 'internet governor'
then the governors would damn well cooperate with one another or be
put out of office (however each country decided to do that.) I
wouldn't even really object to ICANN as the 'default' governor in
the USA as long as we all were free to move to other domains outside
its reach if we wished to do so. What I do object to is the loose and
freewheeling way ICANN runs things except when one of their larger
constituents bosses _them_ around. Remember, Vint Cerf back in 1994
did make a perfectly glowing speech about the 'new internet' which was
on the way, so we know where he stands on the nuisances. PAT]
asok101@hotmail.com