www.internetsociety.org

The road leading to WCIT 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunication Regulations

Karen MulberryPolicy Advisormulberry@isoc.org

Did the United Nations (UN) attempt to take over the Internet

CEPT - European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations: 48 Countries

APT – Asia Pacific Telecommunity: 38 Member Countries

ATU- African Telecom Union: 46 Member States

CITEL – InterAmerican Telecommunications Commission: 35 Member States (OAS Members)

Arab States – 22 Administrations

RCC – Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications 12 Administration Members (former Soviet Republics)

Regional Preparations for WCIT

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International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs)

www.internetsociety.org

Global Internet Policy was at a Crossroads

In 2012, governments will negotiate a UN TREATY that could include aspects of Internet:

OperationsArchitectureContentSecurityBusiness Practices /

Interconnection

Revising the ITRs - Key Drivers/Concerns

Economic

Political

Technical

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Notable quotes set the stage for WCIT

Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General of the ITU: “we need updated ITRs because without them we risk the collapse of the ICT networks which underpin all communications technologies, including the internet.”

Vladamir Putin, Russian Federation: “the goal of this effort is to establish international control over the Internet using the monitoring and supervisory capabilities of the International Telecommunications Union.”

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google: "I cannot be more emphatic. Be very, very careful about moves which seem logical, but have the effect of balkanizing the internet"

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Concerns Expressed

Perhaps the most troubling proposals submitted for consideration at WCIT are those which aim to limit the openness of the internet and give national governments greater control over internet content (Hays, Nov. 2012, Digital Liberties)

Without question, the new treaty did nudge the text further in the direction of impacting privacy and free expression (Llansó, Dec. 2012, blog post, Center for Democracy and Technology)

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Lessons Learned

•The Internet is the dynamic economic engine of the 21st century because it was not constrained by the 1988 ITRs.

•It has developed without the aid of significant government oversight through a multistakeholder process that permits anyone to participate with most decisions made by true consensus.

•When industry, academia, government, and individuals get in a room, it should be no surprise that decisions can be excruciatingly slow and the process ensures that there is adequate time to learn and as a consequence better informed decisions are made.

•Confusion resulted prior to the WCIT as the ITU process was not truly understood by a community that had an interest in the topics under discussion and that relies on a public and open exchange to reach consensus.

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