Domain Registration Related News
ICANN pitches the internet's future
November 2004
ICANN - the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers - which oversees the Internet in
all its magnificent lunacy, has just published a
Strategic Plan, in which it has outlined what its
direction and goals are for the next three years.
In reality though, the strategic plan is a sales
pitch to the world. And it should be read by
anyone who wants to know the kind of people who
will be running the internet for some time to
come.
As a sales pitch, it is charming, convincing
and considered. And as a sales pitch it is also
simplified, one-sided and vague. Its job is to
persuade you that ICANN is the best choice in what
could become the greatest auction in history. The
prize is control of the internet.
But do we rush out and put in an order for ICANN
now? Or look at the other options, first?
One alternative, the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU), is a
well-established giant looking to steal the
market. The ITU has pretty much run all
international communications networks since the
invention of the telegraph. The internet caught it
on the hop and it has been trying to fight its way
back into the market ever since.
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