Remarks by Ira Magaziner to DCISOC
A Synopsis of Remarks Made by Ira Magaziner on the Topic of Internet
Governance
Monday evening, May 11, 1998, Ira Magaziner, Senior Advisor to the
President for Policy Development, spoke on the topic of Internet
Governance before an audience assembled by the DC chapter of the Internet
Society. His presentation addressed the subject from the perspective of
the U.S. Government and re-enforced previously stated positions that
support the decentralization and privatization of the Internet.
It has been several months since the Green Paper (Improvement of Technical
Management of Internet Names and Addresses) was published. During that
period, some 1500 pages of commentary, submitted in response to that
paper, have been reviewed and evaluated. By the end of this week, or early
next week, Magaziner promised, the government will publish a White Paper,
incorporating some of the suggestions submitted by the Internet community.
This would be "the implementing draft" for the upcoming transition. While
carefully not divulging information in advance of publication, Magaziner's
presentation provided some insight into the general approach that the
government intends to take in the area of Internet governance.
Referencing recent history and the role that government agencies played in
launching the Internet, he told the group that the government still has a
legal obligation with respect to Internet Governance but is eager to
effect a smooth transition that minimizes its future involvement. In the
past, he said, a technology of this sort would invite centralized
inter-governmental control. He illustrated this point with references to
industries such as telephone, radio and television. A highly regulatory
approach "does not make sense" today, according to Magaziner. Instead, he
described the vision of the U.S. Government for the Internet as it
proceeds forward as relying on private sector leadership that is
decentralized and international in nature.
Describing the non-profit organization that would assume responsibility
for Internet governance as the government's role was phased out, Magaziner
outlined four areas of responsibility falling under that authority. The
first of these is the assigning of Internet Protocol (IP) address blocks
to the numbering authorities. The second area would be policy
decision-making in Domain Name issues and the third would be oversight of
the management of root servers. The fourth area of responsibility would be
the establishment of Internet protocol under IETF guidelines.
One issue that emerged clearly from Magaziner's remarks is the
government's position that in the future, Domain Name registration should
involve competition among registrars with shared access to generic
top-level domains. No specific details regarding plans for accomplishing
this goal were presented.
The composition of the governing organization, based on the information
provided Monday evening, will closely resemble the structure outlined in
the original green paper. The government will recommend the inclusion of
representatives from ARIN, RIPE, and APNIC on the Board. The government,
he emphasized, would not appoint the Board but would "recognize" the Board
appointed by the Stakeholders.
Elaborating on the nature of the appointed Board, Magaziner set forth
certain conditions that the new organization must meet to succeed. First,
he said that the new organization must operate in a transparent manner
with by-laws that allow it to "re-form itself." It is also important for
the new organization to be incorporated under one legal authority to
ensure stability and hopefully avoid having questions settled by "twenty
different courts around the world." The new non-profit entity responsible
for governance must have the legal authority and credibility to withstand
the "inevitable lawsuits" that will occur. It must, he said, "be robust
enough to go forward."
In addition, Magaziner said that the organization itself must be
international in scope and Stakeholder based. He expressed his belief that
the European stakeholders have also accepted the underlying principles
behind the new governance structures and that consensus has been achieved
in many important areas of concern.
He is hopeful that by late summer, the new organization will get underway.
He indicated that NSI's contract would not be renewed but that
negotiations with NSI would begin quickly following the issuance of the
white paper. The transition will occur, but the timetable will be
determined by events. The sooner the new organization becomes stable, the
sooner the government will withdraw from an active role. The stability of
the Internet is at stake and the government recognizes its responsibility
and authority to ensure that stability. The white paper will provide the
rules to bring about the transfer of control.
In his remarks, Magaziner emphasized the need for balance in addressing
the multiple issues that presently confront the Internet community. Issues
of taxes, tariffs, privacy, and intellectual property, he acknowledged,
create complexity and will require international consensus.
Recognizing in his concluding remarks that none of us fully understands
what is happening as we enter this transition period, Magaziner indicated
that at least "we know enough to understand that we do not understand."
The key, he said, is in the creation of structures that are flexible
enough to evolve. He is also hopeful that groups of people willing to take
on these challenges will emerge to take on leadership roles.
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Jim Fleming
Unir Corporation - http://www.unir.net
IPv8 - Designed for the Rest of the Human Race
AM Radio Stations ---> http://www.DOT.AM
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