E.U. calls for independent world Internet authority

by Rich Bowden - May 5 2009, 15:30

The European Union (E.U.) has made its boldest statement yet over Internet governance, calling for the U.S. to agree to end its oversight authority over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Vivian Reding, the E.U. commissioner for information society and media, said the U.S. should cede control to an international tribunal once its leadership of the California-based non-profit group that oversees world domain names such as .com lapses in September.

"I trust that President Obama will have the courage, the wisdom and the respect for the global nature of the Internet to pave the way in September for a new, more accountable, more transparent, more democratic and more multilateral form of Internet governance," said Reding via her Web site.

Reding also said the U.S. government was the only administration with any authority over ICANN.

"To continue reaping the benefits of the online world, the Internet must evolve on a solid and democratic base," said the commissioner. "ICANN is a private not-for profit corporation established in California. Since it was created more than 10 years ago, ICANN has been working under an agreement with the US Department of Commerce."

"At the moment, the US government is the only body exercising some oversight over ICANN," Reding continued. "I believe that the US, so far, done this in a reasonable manner."

"However, I also believe that the Clinton administration's decision to progressively privatize the internet's domain name and addressing system is the right one. In the long run, it is not defensible that the government department of only one country has oversight of an Internet function which is used by hundreds of millions of people in countries all over the world."

ICANN, was founded in 1998 and has its headquarters in Marina Del Rey, California.

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