Category ITU/ICANN

Criticism Of The 2012 ITRs Not Valid, Says Former Senior ITU Official

The failure to reach agreement in Dubai in December 2012 at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT-12) resulted in a refusal to sign the treaty that was approved at the conference. Various reasons have been given to justify not signing the treaty (IPW, ITU/ICANN, 13 December 2012). A new article explaining the outcome was published today by a former senior ITU official, and made freely available by special arrangement for IP-Watch readers.

World Telecom Policy Forum Agrees On Six Opinions

While controversies over the role of governments in internet governance could not be avoided at the World Telecom Policy Forum this week, six prepared opinions were all passed with only minor changes. But a Brazilian proposal to "operationalize the role of governments in the multistakeholder framework of internet governance," discussed at some length during the concluding day of the forum, did not find consensus.

World Telecom Policy Forum: Healing The Split Or Fueling A Telecom Policy “Cold War”?

Governments, sector members of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and a number of civil society groups are gathering in Geneva for three days this week to talk internet politics at the 5th World Telecom Policy Forum (WTPF). The non-binding forum is the first opportunity to take the temperature of the international telecom politics community since the failed World Conference on International Telecommunication (WCIT) last December. At the same time, it is seen by many as the stepping stone to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and therefore a platform to position oneself with regard to future internet-related public policy and the future role of states in the digital world.

Is ICANN Policymaking Around Its Bottom-Up Multistakeholder Process?

This week, registry, registrar and user constituencies at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) complained about what they saw as deviations from the bottom-up multistakeholder process by late additions made to policies or by processes never being laid out to the community for review.

Debate In Beijing: ICANN As Online Content Regulator?

The publication by governments of additional safeguards for new top-level domains at this week‘s 46th meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) sparked warnings that the private net management body should avoid becoming a content regulator.