WSIS Agrees On An Evolutionary Framework For Governance

The controversy comes to an end. The NYT reports that representatives from the United States and nations that had sought to break up some of its control over the Internet reached an accord that leaves the supervision of domain names and other technical resources unchanged. They agreed instead to an evolutionary approach to Internet management. But the accord, a document of principles that delegates from more than 100 countries worked out here after more than two years of sometimes fiery argument, also established a new international forum intended to give governments a stronger voice in Internet policy issues, including the address system, a trade-off that the Americans were willing to accept. The Internet, a largely decentralized way of linking many computer networks and retrieving data almost instantly, is dependent on a centralized master file that decodes its address scheme. That master file is under Icann's jurisdiction. The text also defines Internet governance as "more than Internet naming and addressing," including public policy issues like the security and safety of the Internet, as well as developmental issues, affordability, reliability and quality of service.

Michael Geist lists at least four factors at play:

- First, the U.S. simply had a very strong hand and played it well. Changes to the governance structure ultimately requires U.S. agreement since possession is even more than the proverbial 9/10th of the law. The U.S. had loudly indicated that it was not prepared to make concessions.
- Second, the European Union may not have been as committed to change as it publicly indicated. Given the opportunity for compromise, the EU decided to back down and accept a deal that all could live with.
- Third, the delegates have found a diplomatic way to leave this issue for a future fight. The creation of the governance forum sounds much like WSIS itself - multilateral, multi-stakeholder, non-binding, U.N. created, and able to address a wide range of Internet and technology policy issues.
- Fourth, the deal may not be as great for the U.S. as the current spin suggests.
The U.S.would certainly be happy about the outcome but the the future of the Internet governance issue lies whether the forum emerges into a powerful venue for change and whether/how ICANN responds.