Leftward Thinking

Yesterday I posted about the recently published Declaration of Internet Freedom (read my post here). Today I’ll be taking a look at some of the issues brought up in the declaration and reflect on what they mean. Before reaching the first of the 5 stated principles the preamble itself brings up an interesting point.

We support transparent and participatory processes for making Internet policy and the establishment of five basic principles:

The need for a transparent and participatory process for making internet policy seems like a no brainer. With the internet made up of so many different groups across the globe it’s hard to imagine a small group of people taking control of the thing, however that’s exactly what is currently happening on multiple fronts.

Just to reference two such instances first up we have the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) making a bid to control pricing schemes for cross border internet traffic at the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT). What has hyperbolicaly been refered to as a UN Takeover of the internet, is really a group of Telcos looking to maximize their profits in a way that would make it more expensive for developing countries to get online. This kind of power grab is dangerous because it doesn’t imiedatly impact people’s day to day internet experience in the United State but has huge implications for how the internet further develops internationally. The Center for Democracy and Technology has covered these recent events well describing the proposal and giving some in depth analysis.

Second, on the never ending online copyright/free speech battle front we have the super duper secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. The issue here is the United States Trade Representative (USTR) trying to give congress the runaround after the epic SOPA fail (and similarly failing ACTA) by negotiating the agreement in insane secracy. 130 Congressmen sent a letter to the USTR demanding some sort of involvement in the process because Senate offices can’t even see a draft proposal while industry groups like the MPAA get full access to all documents online. Canada and Mexico both recently joined partnership but they can’t even observe the negotiations themselves, again while industry groups fully participate. At the end of the day the USTR may not even have the consitutional power to sign on to such an agreement but we do live in a world of growing executive power so who knows. If you’re wondering what the TPP is actually about and why it’s important some information has leaked and the EFF has a good rundown here while Public Knowledge has the best coverage explaining the dangers of TPP policy laundering as well as this awesome podcast episode from PK’s In the Know Podcast discussing the issue in layman’s terms.

These are just two current issues and the ongoing upheaval in regards to ICANN can easily be added the the pile of problematic internet governance processes. While the internet certainly has the power to bring people into the fold of decision making, there is still a long way to go in establishing equitable institutions to help govern the internet’s long term success.

While flat out boring to many people, shaping internet policy and telecommunications regulation is going to be key if the internet is to continue as a free and open platform. Countless technologies like radio communication, broadcast television, and cable TV, all were hailed in their early days as revolutionary technologies that would empower individuals, like the internet is seen today. However as time progressed industry interests lobbied hard for laws and rules that would shape those basic technologies into the commodities we know them as today. For example why don’t workplaces or local businesses use radio technology to get a message out to nearby workers or customers? Why can’t I call up Comcast to setup my own cable channel that others could subscribe to? It’s hard to use your imagination to see what the world would be like if these technologies had spread under different laws and regulations, but it should be clear to everyone that very powerful, well funded, and politically connected companies would love to turn the internet into something more like TV. Keep the internet free and open and stay tuned to Leftward Thinking!