[IP] U.N. Out! European firms don't want ICANN to be overseen by United Nations [fs]
Begin forwarded message:
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>
Date: October 11, 2005 11:43:35 AM EDT
To: politech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Politech] U.N. Out! European firms don't want ICANN to be
overseen by United Nations [fs]
Previous Politech messages:
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/10/06/karl-auerbach-replies/
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/10/04/will-the-un/
Below is reproduced from icannwatch.org excerpt from the Wall Street
Journal's web site, which requires a subscription.
-Declan
---
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112855334164661054.html?
mod=europe_technology_primary_hs
The EU last week proposed what it called "an international government
involvement at the level of principles" in overseeing the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The U.S.-backed agency
comes up with the technical rules that allow the Internet's billion
users to post and visit Web sites. The EU -- supported by its
telecommunications companies -- long has urged giving all governments
a share of the indirect oversight role currently handled by the U.S.
Department of Commerce.
However, some telecom companies have objected to the European
Commission's latest move. "I've been getting urgent calls from our
members, and they are upset," says Michael Bartholomew, director of
the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association, which
represents 42 major companies in 35 countries.
EU Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr insisted that that his
organization's position was being misinterpreted. "We categorically
oppose any direct government involvement with Icann," he said. In an
email to Mr. Bartholomew sent yesterday, chief EU negotiator Peter
Zangl wrote that the EU opposes "involvement of governments in the
day-to-day management of Internet resources" and instead supports a
"multi-stakeholder, public-private partnership" in overseeing
Icann. ... "
It introduced a proposal that went a long way towards the position
that a number of states headed by Iran had been advocating, opening
for a political control mechanism," Carl Bildt, former Swedish prime
minister and chairman of Swedish telecom Teleopti, wrote on his web
log. It was, he added, "a U-turn by the European Union that was as
unexpected as it was disturbing."
[...]
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