www.ConservativePower.org
Posted on 09/30/2005 11:59:25 AM PDT by Pikamax
UN telcom agency says would be ready to run Internet Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:28 PM BST Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS
By Robert Evans
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations' International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is ready to take over governance of the Internet from the United States., ITU head Yoshio Utsumi said on Friday.
The United States has clashed with the European Union and much of the rest of the world over the future of the Internet. It currently manages the global information system through a partnership with California-based company ICANN.
"We could do it if we were asked to," Utsumi told a news conference. The U.N. agency's experience in communications, its structure and its cooperation with private and public bodies made it best-placed to take on the role, he said.
Washington has made clear it would oppose any such move despite widespread demands for changes in the current system.
"We will not agree to the United Nations taking over management of the Internet," said David Gross, a U.S. State Department official attending a two-week conference preparing for a U.N. "Information Society Summit" in Tunisia in November.
The United States, where the Department of Commerce oversees ICANN, says it would never take any action that would affect the working of the Internet. But countries like Iran say they fear Washington could pull the plug on them any time.
The issue could sour the Tunis meeting from November 16-18.
The summit aims to approve a plan for extending use of the Internet and other forms of advanced communications in order to help poorer countries achieve U.N. development goals by 2015.
The EU says it is proposing a new "cooperative model" to run the Internet and the way addresses - or domain names -- are assigned that everyone could support.
But Gross, speaking to reporters on Thursday, described the plan as a "shocking and profound change" of the EU's earlier stance that opened the way for control by governments -- some of whom already censor what their citizens can read on the Net.
EU spokesman David Hendon described this as "misrepresentation."
Although many EU nations were happy with what ICANN is doing, many countries "just cannot accept that the Americans have control of the Internet in their countries," he told Reuters, and this had to be recognised.
The EU proposal would bring the Internet and ICANN under international law rather than U.S. law.
It is OUR internet, is it not?
The @@%&#^&#$ UN cant even run its sorry self, much less the world wide web....
www.ConservativePower.org
Oh, yeah! I want them runnin' my life.
Clowns.
Uh yeah, we'll get back to you on that... Be sure to wait by the phone.
Its our internet and don't forget it. Brussels or the UN couldn't run a fever. The UN is stuck on stupid.
United Nations says ready to run Fort Knox.
What's next, are they going to decide that our farmlands belong to the world too? They feed the vast majority of the world....
RockinRight ready to tell UN to go Cheney itself.
"just cannot accept that the Americans have control of the Internet in their countries,"
Statements like this is exactly why we dont need these people controlling a perfectly good internet. The US is right to say no.
Uhhhh,
Memo to the EU and the UN...We in the United States have created, maintained and expanded the internet - to the benefit and economic freedom of people across the globe {all while you corrupt, evil bastards have continued to support genocidal dictators in their oppressing of whole countries and/or ethnic groups}.
Two words:
HELL NO!!
A.A.C.
"many countries just cannot accept that the Americans have control of the Internet in their countries,"
Well they're free not to use it, God forbid they thank us for the Internet.
Typical. We make it, we finance it, we grow it, now the looters want it...
My husband has told me that he read or heard somewhere that the UN was given "domain" over the U.S. national parks and monuments. So, if they wanted to, they could send UN troops to take over these areas and the U.S. could say nothing about it. We haven't been able to verify this, though. Anyone heard of this or have information on it? Or is this un"common knowledge"?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.