Title
ABSTRACT: WSIS, ICANN and the Future of the Internet
Author
Andrew Updegrove
Date
12/04/2005
(Original Publish Date: 2005)
(Original Publish Date: 2005)
Abstract
For the last four years, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process has been the locus of a contentious argument over the control of the name and number directories of the Internet, which are currently under the indirect control of the United States Department of Commerce. This dispute has been a diversion from the more important work of "bridging the Digital Divide," and has resulted in acrimony that may undermine future efforts towards the same goal. This article surveys the origin of the controversy, its evolution over time, and the probable impact of the compromise on Internet governance announced on the eve of the concluding WSIS Summit in Tunis, Tunisia, on November 16, 2005.