Netizens-Digest Monday, November 1 1999 Volume 01 : Number 344 Netizens Association Discussion List Digest In this issue: [none] [none] [netz] The role of government in the present and future of the Internet [netz] Netizens and the Role for Government in the Internet [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN [netz] Tony Rutkowski's announcement of legal brief filed with ICANN Re: [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN Re: [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN [netz] RE: (netz) Tony Rutkowski's announcement of legal brief file [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 14:34:22 -0400 (EDT) From: jrh@umcc.ais.org (Jay Hauben) Subject: [none] test2 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 20:22:21 -0400 (EDT) From: ronda@panix.com Subject: [none] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 20:33:50 -0400 (EDT) From: ronda@panix.com Subject: [netz] The role of government in the present and future of the Internet >From ronda@umcc.ais.org Fri Oct 22 10:30:15 1999 Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 10:30:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ronda@umcc.ais.org (Ronda Hauben) To: nettime-l@bbs.thing.net Subject: The public interest and the Internet: Books for Internet Studies Another mailing list I am on had asked for suggestions for books for Internet studies and I thought that this subject was a worthwhile one for the nettime list to consider as well. I wanted to suggest the book I am co-author of "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet" published by IEEE Computer Society Press in 1997 ISBN 0-8186-7706-6 The reason I am suggesting the book is that there has been an important battle since the earliest days of the birth of the Internet waged by those who have had a vision of it as a communications medium versus those with other goals in mind. In Netizens we set out to explore this vision and to document the hard efforts it has taken to create a participatory medium where the voice of those online is part of creating both the present and the future of the developing network. We faced some of the similar challenges in writing and trying to get the story of the developing participatory medium out to the world that the Internet and Internet pioneers faced in developing the Net. Those intent on turning the Internet into a commercial haven with no sign left of the vision or purpose of the Internet were hostile to our book and to the chapters in it, several of which were originally presented as talks. And just as the Internet was under seige, so a new social form was discovered by those online who were fighting the seige and my co-author Michael recognized there was a new concept that had emerged along with the Internet, the concept of the net citizen, or the Netizen. Thus our book has made the effort not only to document the efforts of the commercializers to seize the Internet from those who have worked so hard to build it, but more importantly, we have made the effort to search out and document the hard work done and the achievements of those who have constructed a new and important participatory medium. The Internet is not about identify or about buying and selling or about domain names or companies making it rich quick, though these are all what the U.S. press at least tries to pass on as the nature of the Internet. Instead the Internet is about the hard efforts of many people, especially a determined set of scientists who were developing a new field of science, the field of computer communications. The Internet is about how they created something very important and something very general and something new. We have made an effort to identify the principles and concepts of what is new about the Internet in "Netizens." And we also hoped that the book would be an encouragement to both users and those who weren't yet online to see the important new means of communication that the Internet makes possible and to see the hard battle it will take to develop a government policy that will make it possible to protect this new means of communications. Recently I met someone from a country in Africa who told me that he was trying to understand what was the needed role for government in the development of the Internet and other new media in his country. In the U.S., despite the long and important role that government has played in making a grassroots development process possible, the Internet is now being abandoned by government to a policy of "the private sector leads" and U.S. government does all it can to help the so called "private sector." This presents a serious threat to the present and future development of the Internet. Users and citizens who understand the nature of the Internet and the vision of the pioneers to make access into a "right" not a privilege, will recognize the need to challenge such a harmful government policy. The Internet is a scientific and technical computer communications system that is only in the process of development. The kind of scientific and technical research efforts that it continues to require means that no "private sector" entity is capable of leading this development. Such development requires long term perspective and support, not "short term profits" as its basis. This is why government and science and the public are the entities that need to be leading the development, not industry which is constrained by its need to achieve short term profit. Also the Internet is something new and so needs both the open process of user participation in its development that has marked its earliest days, and some responsible and thoughtful consideration for what is needed for its present and future. That is not possible under a so called "private sector" led policy for development. There was and continues to be a need for the serious consideration of the question what should be the role of the government and of the private sector in the present and future development of the Internet. The U.S. government has failed to explore this question but the challenge then falls to the public in the U.S. and to people around the world to take up the question. Our book "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet" was intended as a contribution to this kind of needed discussion. It is important that this discussion be ongoing at a grassroots level and that the work we have done in Netizens be taken as a basis for further research into the issues it raises. The Internet makes possible a very new and important means of human to human communication. There are those who realize that this is a threat to the old ways of power and poverty. The contest is on over which sectors of the population will benefit from this important new development. And those who hope for some of the benefit to serve the public interest need to determine how to be an effective part of the ongoing battle. Ronda ronda@ais.org - ----------------- Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook/ Published by the IEEE Computer Society Press ISBN # 0-8186-7706-6 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 20:47:19 -0400 (EDT) From: ronda@panix.com Subject: [netz] Netizens and the Role for Government in the Internet A mailing list I am on had asked for suggestions for books for Internet studies and I thought that this subject was a worthwhile one for the netizens list to consider as well. I thought it would be helpful to suggest why we wrote Netizens as a way to begin to explore this question. - ----------------- Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet" published by IEEE Computer Society Press in 1997 ISBN 0-8186-7706-6 There has been an important battle since the earliest days of the birth of the Internet waged by those who have had a vision of it as a communications medium versus those with other goals in mind. In Netizens we set out to explore this vision and to document the hard efforts it has taken to create a participatory medium where the voice of those online is part of creating both the present and the future of the developing network. We faced some of the similar challenges in writing and trying to get the story of the developing participatory medium out into the world that the Internet and Internet pioneers faced in developing the Net. Those intent on turning the Internet into a commercial haven with no sign left of the vision or purpose of the Internet as a communications medium were hostile to the history being documented and made available. Instead myths abounded about the origins and development of the Internet. And just as the Internet was under seige, so a new social form was discovered by those online who were fighting the seige and Netizens co-author Michael recognized there was a new concept that had emerged along with the Internet, the concept of the net citizen, or the Netizen. Thus Netizens not only documents the actions of those who want to limit the development of the Internet and turn it into one big commercial commercenet, but it also documents the cooperative and scientific efforts of those who have built the Internet as a participatory and general nature communications medium. More importantly, we have made the effort to search out and document the conceptual development and the achievements of those who have constructed a new and important participatory medium. The Internet is not about identify or about buying and selling or about domain names or companies making it rich quick, though these are all what the U.S. press at least tries to pass on as the nature of the Internet. (Though in the context of protection for the general nature of the Internet, there are many particular uses that will be possible.) Instead the Internet is about the hard efforts of many people, especially a determined set of scientists who were making breakthroughs in the newly developing field of computer communications. The Internet is about how they created something very important and something very general and something new. We have made an effort to identify the principles and concepts of what is new about the Internet in "Netizens." And we also hoped that the book would be an encouragement to both users and those who weren't yet online to see the important new means of communication that the Internet makes possible and to see the hard battle it will take to develop a government policy that will make it possible to protect this new means of communications. Recently I met someone from a country in Africa who told me that he was trying to understand what was the needed role for government in the development of the Internet and other new media in his country. In the U.S., despite the long and important role that government has played in making a grassroots development process possible, the Internet is now being abandoned by government to a policy of "the private sector leads" and U.S. government does all it can to help the so called "private sector." This presents a serious threat to the present and future development of the Internet. Users and citizens who understand the nature of the Internet and the vision of the pioneers to make access into a "right" not a privilege, will recognize the need to challenge such a harmful government policy. The Internet is a scientific and technical computer communications system that is only in the process of development. The kind of scientific and technical research efforts that it continues to require means that no "private sector" entity is capable of leading this development. Such development requires long term perspective and support, not "short term profits" as its basis. This is why government and science and the public are the entities that need to be leading the development, not industry which is constrained by its need to achieve short term profit. Also the Internet is something new and so needs both the open process of user participation in its development that has marked its earliest days, and some responsible and thoughtful consideration for what is needed for its present and future. That is not possible under a so called "private sector" led policy for development. There was and continues to be a need for the serious consideration of the question what should be the role of the government and of the private sector in the present and future development of the Internet. The U.S. government has failed to explore this question but the challenge then falls to the public in the U.S. and to people around the world to take up the question. Our book "Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet" was intended as a contribution to this kind of needed discussion. It is important that this discussion be ongoing at a grassroots level and that the work we have done in Netizens be taken as a basis for further research into the issues it raises. The Internet makes possible a very new and important means of human to human communication. There are those who realize that this is a threat to the old ways of power and poverty. The contest is on over which sectors of the population will benefit from this important new development. And those who hope for some of the benefit to serve the public interest need to determine how to be an effective part of the ongoing battle. Ronda ronda@panix.com - ----------------- Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook/ Published by the IEEE Computer Society Press ISBN # 0-8186-7706-6 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 00:04:44 -0400 (EDT) From: ronda@panix.com Subject: [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN I thought those on the Netizens list would be interested in this note from Jamie Love that Senator Judd Gregg put language into the U.S. CJS Senate Appropriations conference report directing the Government Accounting Office to review what is happening with ICANN in several areas. It would be good to have further information on this. Ronda - --------------- * From: James Love * Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1999 16:58:25 -0400 I was told today that Senator Judd Gregg put the following language into the CJS Appropriations conference report regarding ICANN. Jamie - -------------------- The Committee directs the Government Accounting Office to review the relationship between the Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and to issue a report no later than June 2000. The Committee requests that GAO review: 1) the legal basis for the Department s selection of U.S. representatives to ICANN s interim board and for the expenditure of funds for the costs of U.S. representation and participation in ICANN s proceedings; 2) whether the U.S. participation in ICANN proceedings is consistent with U.S. law, including the Administrative Procedures Act; 3) a legal analysis of the Department of Commerce s opinion that OMB Circular A-25 provides ICANN, as a project partner with the Department, authority to impose fees on internet users for ICANN s operating costs; and, 4) whether the Department has the legal authority to transfer control of the A root server to ICANN. In addition, the Committee seeks GAO s evaluation and recommendations regarding placing responsibility for U.S. participation in ICANN under the National Institute for Standards and Technology rather than the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and requests that GAO review the adequacy of security arrangements under existing Department cooperative agreements. http://www.cptech.org / love@cptech.org ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 10:20:58 -0500 (EST) From: ronda@panix.com Subject: [netz] Tony Rutkowski's announcement of legal brief filed with ICANN Tony >Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 17:20:08 -0400 >From: "A.M. Rutkowski" >Subject: [IFWP] Internet Rights Coalition Press Release >INTERNET RIGHTS COALITION FILES LEGAL BRIEF WITH ICANN >ON GOVERNMENT SOVEREIGNTY CLAIMS TO DOMAIN NAMES, >REQUESTS OPEN PROCESS (...) >http://www.wia.org/icann/irc_cover-letter.htm >http://www.wia.org/icann/irc_gac_brief.htm Can you explain about why this brief in being filed with ICANN? I am interested in how entities other than government entities become those with whom someone might file a legal brief? Would you file a legal brief with other US nonprofit entities? I thought that nonprofit entities were corporations of a form, not that they were legal bodies that governed or were endowed with government powers. However the filing a brief with a nonprofit entity seems to give the impression that it is endowed with the powers of a government. Do you feel it is? Is there some reason the brief wasn't filed with the US government? Under any conditions ICANN is only an entity that is supposed to be a design and test contract with the U.S. government. So I don't understand the brief going to ICANN and expecting ICANN to make decisions, especially where the Government Advisory Council, (GAC) which is the subject of the brief, has to do with government. The US government set up the GAC and it would seem that questions concerning the nature of the GAC have to do with the US government activity involving it. I wondered about the rationale behind filing a legal brief with ICANN? What do you see ICANN as that you treat them in a way that government's are treated? Are they a government entity in your mind? Thanks for any clarification on this. Ronda ronda@panix.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 20:51:52 -04 From: kerryo@ns.sympatico.ca (Kerry Miller) Subject: Re: [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN > In addition, the Committee seeks GAO s evaluation and > recommendations regarding placing responsibility for U.S. participation > in ICANN under the National Institute for Standards and Technology > rather than the National Telecommunications and Information > Administration i.e. out of Commerce! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Nov 1999 07:35:50 -0800 (PST) From: Greg Skinner Subject: Re: [netz] Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN In article <19991101032420.AAA28690@LOCALNAME> Kerry Miller wrote: >> In addition, the Committee seeks GAO s evaluation and >> recommendations regarding placing responsibility for U.S. participation >> in ICANN under the National Institute for Standards and Technology >> rather than the National Telecommunications and Information >> Administration >i.e. out of Commerce! It looks from the NIST's website (www.nist.gov) that their interest in ICANN could be commercial. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 Oct 99 06:02:00 EST From: "Joseph Russo" Subject: [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN Thank you for you message. Have a wonderful day....and remember to invest in a child! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 Oct 99 16:19:00 EST From: "Joseph Russo" Subject: [netz] RE: (netz) Tony Rutkowski's announcement of legal brief file Thank you for you message. Have a wonderful day....and remember to invest in a child! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Nov 99 04:22:00 EST From: "Joseph Russo" Subject: [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN Thank you for you message. Have a wonderful day....and remember to invest in a child! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Nov 99 16:34:00 EST From: "Joseph Russo" Subject: [netz] RE: (netz) Senate committee asking for investigation ICANN Thank you for you message. Have a wonderful day....and remember to invest in the stock market too!!! ------------------------------ End of Netizens-Digest V1 #344 ******************************