CMC Conference 2004

Internet Governance 3 - 4 November 2004, Sentrum Congress and Conference Centre

Who controls the Internet? What is the technological and legal basis for such control? Should the Internet be regulated in the future?

These and related important questions will be addressed at the conference on Internet Governance 3 - 4 November 2004. The conference is organized by the strategic research initiative Competence and Media Convergence ([cmc.uio.no ]) at the University of Oslo.

Conference Programme: Wednesday 3. November 2004
09.15-09.30 - Opening by Morten Andreas Meyer, The Minister of Modernization
In his speech, Meyer discussed the need for modernizing ICT in Norway. By referring to the political and strategical document eNorway 2005, he stressed the importance of modernizing the Norwegian macro economy. A national ICT Policy ought to be developed in an international context, because it is global in its nature.

09.30-11.30 - The meaning of Internet governance
A critical view on the development of Internet governance; How has the Internet been governed and regulated up till today? Has the general perception of Internet governance changed during this time-period? Who controls the Internet today and what is the technological and legal basis for such control? Is it possible to point out any centralized controlling power(s), and, if so, where is (/are) such power(s) located?

Paschal Preston, Professor, School of communication, Dublin City University (DCU) and Director of the Centre for Technology, Society and Media, DCU (web )

In his speech "The Meaning(s) of Internet Governance: Who/What Controls or Shapes the 'Net' ?" Preston points out multiple meanings of the concept 'Internet governance' and the different disciplines connected to it. He also discussed implications for Internet governance; socio-economic, political and cultural. The Internet and ICT will erode the role or scope of the territorial state, Preston argued, even though the nation state still is the major power. Lecture

Gisle Hannemyr, Lecturer, Institute of informatics, University of Oslo, and independent author, speaker and consultant (web )

Hannemyr started his session by pointing at the Internet's origin, its actors and networks. He also posed the question "What is Internet?". To interpret Internet governance, we should differ between cyberlibertarians and the regulators, Hannemyr said, and pointed out the differences of Internet governance in Singapore and Norway. He ended his contribution by emphasizing that Internet is changing, and this happens in ways that will reintroduce the very barriers that the Internet already has removed.
Lecture

11.30-12.30 Lunch

12.30-14.30 - Political/economical aspects of Internet governance
Economic, political and social forces are significant for understanding the governance and development of the Internet. Regulators and market actors have different perspectives on the possibilities for controlling the Internet, whereas the actual users cope differently with the opportunities the Internet provide - and some have no access at all. Important questions are; What is the political economy of Internet regulation? Which regulatory models should be discussed? What are the prospects for universal access to the Internet?

Divina Frau Meigs, Professor, Universite Paris3-Sorbonne

In her speech "Internet, in search of a regulatory model in the US: what prospects for global governance? ", Meigs presented different models for regulating the Internet. Media technologies could be understood in different models; the free press model, common carrier model, public trustee model, public service model and public forum model. These models are distinguished by their technologies and main function. Lecture

Eli Skogerboe, Professor and Head of Department, Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo

To open her presentation, Skogerboe stated that the Internet already is regulated. The problem is not to establish governance, but to establish a model for governance that secures a democratic, just and fair information society. Internet governance and the issues of democracy and access are not resolved, but need to be readdressed in the environment of a partly globalised regulatory regime, she concluded. Lecture

14.30-15.00 Break

15.00-16.45 - Technical aspects of Internet governance
The Internet is a technical infrastructure defined mainly by a shared name and address space and conformance to set of technical specifications, with the TCP/IP protocols at its core and the W3C standards regulates presentation and access to high levels contents. In this session, we will look closer at how these specifications and protocols are created, managed and enforced.

Harald Tveit Alvestrand, Chairman, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
In his presentation "Creating the Internet Standards", Alvestrand presented different ways og governing the Internet. One solution is the IETF, he argues. The fundamental working principle for IETF is; "We reject kings, presidents, and voting. We believe in rough consensus and running code". Alvestrand argued that the IETF is effective because it is open, respect reality, has wide participation, and does not attempt to be a governing body. Lecture
Guri Verne, Assistant Director General, Statskonsult
Verne started her presentation "Government policy for Internet governance, or lack of..." by presentation some of the main goals in the political document eNorway2005. In this document three main goals are stated; creating values in the industry, efficiency and quality in the public sector, and involvement and identity. Verne then points out the lack of employees with technical background in public administration, and conclude by asking for more - and better - use of technicians in policy making. Lecture

16.45-17.30 - Reception

Thursday 4 November 2004
09.00-11.30 - Public policy matters
To what extent should the Internet and Internet activities be subject to state regulation? Should certain fields/aspects of the Internet and Internet activities be left for self-regulation (hereunder intellectual property, tax, privacy, commerce, security, consumer protection, education, spam etc)?

Willy Jensen, Director general, Norwegian Post and Telecommunication Authority

Jensen distinguished different interpretations of Internet governance, and some main public policy issues connected to this. Such issues are for example content control, data protection and issues directly related to Internet stability and dependability. Jensen also discussed the different bodies governing - or trying to governing - the Internet, before he close his presentation by giving some ideas for alternative governance structures. Lecture

Olav Torvund, Professor dr. juris, Norwegian Research Centre for Computers and Law, University of Oslo

In his presentation, Torvund discussed to what extend the Internet and internet activity should be subject to regulation. Torvund argued that consumer protection has evolved because self-regulation doesn't work. As a closure, Torvund argued that a problem with Internet governance is the concept of equalness; "we are all equal, but some are more equal than others".