MultistakeholderInternet Governance?

William H. DuttonQuello Professor of Media and Information Policy

Quello Center, Michigan State UniversityFollow @QuelloCenter

Presentation for the seminar ‘Internet Governance in Latin America: Between Borderless Governance and National Initiatives’, Un. of San Andrés, Buenos Aires, 24 April 2015.

Outline

• The New Internet World

• The Rise of Governance, Policy & Regulation

• The Idea of Internet Governance

• Multistakeholder v Multilateral Approaches

• The Next Decade

6%

8%

11%

12%

14%

16%

17%

20%

23%

25%

29%

32%

35%

38% 40%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900

% I

nte

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users

Source: ITU – http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx. March 2015.

World Internet population in %

World Internet population in %

172

115

1,310

4

467

159

639

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

To

tal n

um

ber

of

Inte

rnet

users

(m

illio

ns)

Source: ITU – http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx. March 2015.

Africa Arab States Asia & Pacific CIS Europe The Americas

6%

29%

45%

1%

28%

16%

40%

22%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

% o

f w

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ide In

tern

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Source: ITU – http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx. March 2015.

Africa Arab States Asia & Pacific CIS Europe The Americas

Reshaping the Idea of the Internet

The Internet

Business Models

Technical Change

Users: Good &

Bad

Policy, Regulation,

Rulings

Rise of Internet Governance

Internet Governance

Significance of the Net

Digital Divides

Trust Bubble (Snowden)

Moral Panics (Social Media)

‘Left Out’

of Policy

National Policy &

Regulation

The Idea of Internet Governance?

Narrow Conceptions: Jon Postel, ICANN, IETFDomain Name System (DNS) Root, IP addresses, and related Internet protocol issues

Broad Conceptions Internet-Centric Issues (e.g., names and numbers)User-Centric Issues (skills, up-take, malevolent users)Policy Context of the Internet (anonymity, privacy, …)

Contemporary Conceptions of Governancehybrid, multi-jurisdictional, plural stakeholders, networked (Bevir)

Ecology of Games

• Norton Long (1958) on Power Structures

• Internet governance as the outcome of an ecology of games

• Games as arenas of competition and cooperation among players to achieve objectives for prizes following rules

• Internet governance is the outcome of an ecology of games (not governed by any single set of stakeholders, or governments)

Governing a Global Ecology of Choices

Governmental Policy &

Regulation

Self-Regulation (Learning & Education)

Bilateral & Multilateral

Treaties, Inst.

Tech PopulismMultistakeholder

Governance

Questioning Multistakeholder Approach

Is it dominated by US, or old Internet world?

Is new Internet world left out?

Losing sovereignty in jurisdictional turf struggle?

Are some stakeholders dominant? Internet Firms?

Should gov’t control through multilateral approach?

Multistakeholder or / and Multilateral: Principles

Multistakeholder

Collaborative Leadership Among Stakeholders with Expertise and Commitment to Particular Problems

Multilateral / Intergovernmental

Sovereign right of governments to determine Internet policy and regulation

Representation of Stakeholders

MSG: Direct engagement of private sector, business and industry; governments; bilateral and multilateral international institutions; civil society and academia; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

MLG: National government agency represents interests of all in bilateral and multilateral treaties and agreements anchored in advice and consultation with all stakeholders

Role of Governments

MSG: A key category of multiple stakeholders, with legitimacy to decide

MLG: National governments represent other interests in intergovernmental entity

Process, Authority, Transparency

MSG: • Participatory bottom up• Horizontal across stakeholders• Open

MLG: • Top down consultative• Hierarchical within states and through international

agreements / treaties• Closed with Open Consultation

Problems with Multilateralism

Diminish open and global net, prioritizing national control

Reduce the value of the Internet, enhanced by every new user, with China as a possible exception, already localized by language?

Trust in government regulation, moving back to a future of pre-liberalization of telecom

Create a stronger ITU, but embedded in a multistakeholderorganization, such as IGF with other multilateral instiutions

Lack of an appropriate regulatory model for the Internet

Problems with Multistakeholderism

Limited to communication and coordination -soft power v authoritative decisions

Concerns over representation of regions, nations, and stakeholders

Lack a model for regulating the Internet (key to any progress on Internet governance)

The Next Decade

Last Decade’s Narrative: Technical Innovations

The Next Decade’s Narrative: Policy, Regulation & Governance

At Stake: • The Vitality of the Internet • Global Economic and Social Development• Economic and Social Development of Argentina