December 2003: The Internet is changing

Love them or hate them (or be blissfully unaware of them), the organisation who was responsible for shaping the Internet as we see it today, the [Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers,](http://www.icann.org/)  (ICANN) is in the hot seat in December.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is an ancient international standards body – they were there when the telegraph was invented, and the fact that you can call internationally is pretty much due to this mob. They want to take over control of the Internet (as much as you can “control” the Internet) from the ICANN.

At first glance, the ITU seems like a good idea. They’re international, based in Geneva; they’re not American, like the ICANN is; they’re responsible to international governments, unlike the ICANN. However, they’re very much in bed with the incumbent telcos of the world. It’s in their best interests to make the plumbing of the Internet as complicated and exclusive as possible. If we’d followed their original plan, the net probably wouldn’t be as open and free as it is today. The Register, as usual, has a fantastic overview of the issues involved. It’s a bit of a lengthy read, but it’s a good backgrounder on this important issue. Even if you’ve never heard of ICANN or the ITU, what happens in Geneva in December will effect you and how the Internet will work for you in the future.

I like the idea of an international body to oversee things, but I really don’t want the ITU to be it. As I said, they’re stuck into the big telcos, and while those telcos were important for the beginnings of the Internet, they’re becoming less and less relevant. This trend isn’t really happening here in Australia – yet – but there’s hope.