Previous Politech messages:
http://www.politechbot.com/2005/10/06/karl-auerbach-replies/
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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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