{"id":51605,"date":"2014-03-26T09:54:58","date_gmt":"2014-03-26T14:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=51605"},"modified":"2014-03-26T09:54:58","modified_gmt":"2014-03-26T14:54:58","slug":"multistakeholder-approach-work-govern-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/03\/multistakeholder-approach-work-govern-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"Can a multistakeholder approach truly work to govern the Internet?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>When there are multiple stakeholders and interests to consider, such as in the process to transition the United States&#8217; stewardship from IANA to the global Internet community, can a multistakeholder approach work?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"51338\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/03\/multistakeholderism-caribbean-involved-shaping-future-stewardship-internet\/empty-meeting-room-by-sixninepixels-freedigitalphotos-net\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C265&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,265\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Empty Meeting Room by sixninepixels (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;http:\/\/www.freedigitalphotos.net&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=300%2C198&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C265&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-51338\" alt=\"Empty Meeting Room by sixninepixels (FreeDigitalPhotos.net)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?resize=400%2C265\" width=\"400\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?resize=300%2C198&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The recent announcement by the United States (US) Government to transition its stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the global community has triggered considerable discussion worldwide. It has also been the impetus for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to launch a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.icann.org\/en\/about\/agreements\/iana\/functions-transfer-process-14mar14-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">consultation process<\/a> on the transition approach:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><em>ICANN\u00a0 will\u00a0 initiate\u00a0 the\u00a0 launch\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 multistakeholder\u2010designed\u00a0 process\u00a0 for\u00a0 the\u00a0 community\u00a0 at\u00a0 the\u00a0 ICANN\u00a0 49\u00a0 Meeting\u00a0 in\u00a0 Singapore (21\u201427\u00a0March\u00a0 2014) to\u00a0 address\u00a0 how\u00a0 the\u00a0 mechanisms\u00a0 for\u00a0 the\u00a0 transition\u00a0 should\u00a0 occur.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Input\u00a0 from\u00a0 the\u00a0 community discussions\u00a0 will\u00a0 be\u00a0 compiled\u00a0 into\u00a0 materials\u00a0 for\u00a0 posting\u00a0 subsequent\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 ICANN\u00a0 49\u00a0 Meeting\u00a0 for\u00a0 public\u00a0 comments.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>The\u00a0 process\u00a0 will\u00a0 be\u00a0 open,\u00a0 global,\u00a0 and\u00a0 transparent,\u00a0 and\u00a0 will\u00a0 ensure:<\/em>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Full\u00a0 engagement with\u00a0 all\u00a0 stakeholders\u00a0 and\u00a0 interested\u00a0 or\u00a0 affected\u00a0 parties, including\u00a0 discussions\u00a0 at\u00a0 respective\u00a0 meetings.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Global reach,\u00a0 including\u00a0 translation\u00a0 of\u00a0 relevant\u00a0 materials<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As at the time of publishing, the ICANN 49 meeting has been on-going in Singapore, and one of the biggest discussions this week was on the IANA accountability transition, which was held on Monday, 24 March. Although it was recognised that the community sub-groupings might not yet have had an opportunity to discuss the US Government\u2019s announcement among their own members and stakeholders, the session would begin early dialogue on the issue. Moreover, ICANN intends to incorporate the views and comments expressed into the consultation materials it is preparing and should be released on or around 7\u00a0April 2014 (Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/singapore49.icann.org\/en\/schedule\/mon-iana-accountability\" target=\"_blank\">ICANN<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"51337\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/03\/multistakeholderism-caribbean-involved-shaping-future-stewardship-internet\/singapore49_logo_300x155_72-source-icann\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72-Source-ICANN.jpg?fit=300%2C155&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"300,155\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72 (Source- ICANN)\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;https:\/\/meetings.icann.org&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72-Source-ICANN.jpg?fit=300%2C155&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72-Source-ICANN.jpg?fit=300%2C155&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-51337\" alt=\"Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72 (Source- ICANN)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Singapore49_Logo_300x155_72-Source-ICANN.jpg?resize=300%2C155\" width=\"300\" height=\"155\" \/>However, having had an opportunity to listen to the entire session on <a href=\"http:\/\/singapore49.icann.org\/en\/schedule\/mon-iana-accountability\" target=\"_blank\">IANA accountability transition<\/a>, it began to highlight, first, the size of the community that needed to be engaged on the matter, which was extensive. \u00a0During the discussion, at least 20 organisations were identified as entities that should be contributing to process. However and perhaps more importantly, that preliminary discussion also began to highlight the broad range of interests that would (somehow) need to cohere into consensus to facilitate the anticipated transition.<\/p>\n<h3>Consultation versus a multistakeholder process<\/h3>\n<p>One of the issues that began to come to the fore was the difference between consultation and a multistakeholder process. As noted earlier, ICANN indicated that a consultation will soon be launched through which stakeholder views will be secured. However, participants were challenging that approach on the grounds that it is at odds with the process envisaged: a multistakeholder model.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, a multistakeholder approach is a bottom-up consensus-building process with decentralised control, and according to <a href=\"http:\/\/toronto45.icann.org\/meetings\/toronto2012\/presentation-multi-stakeholder-model-14oct12-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">ICANN\u2019s own thoughts on the issue<\/a>, attention is given to the voices of the community as much as to the voices of power. On the other hand, a consultation is tends to be a top-down approach. A proposal (or position) is posited by the consultation owner for which feedback is sought. The owner then processes the inputs received, and generates the final outcome, usually with limited additional feedback (if any) from stakeholders.<\/p>\n<p>Having said this, and referring back to the IANA accountability transition discussion, should a true multistakeholder approach be adopted, the process is likely to experience with benefits and challenges, some of which are reflected in Table 1.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_51607\" style=\"width: 556px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51607\" data-attachment-id=\"51607\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/03\/multistakeholder-approach-work-govern-internet\/benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-sources-icann-ict-pulse\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?fit=780%2C314&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"780,314\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Benefits and challenges of multistakeholderism (Sources ICANN, ICT Pulse)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Table 1:  Benefits and challenges of multistakeholderism (Sources: ICANN, ICT Pulse)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?fit=300%2C120&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?fit=780%2C314&amp;ssl=1\" class=\" wp-image-51607  \" alt=\"Table 1:  Benefits and challenges of multistakeholderism (Sources: ICANN, ICT Pulse)\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?resize=546%2C220\" width=\"546\" height=\"220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?w=780&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Benefits-and-challenges-of-multistakeholderism-Sources-ICANN-ICT-Pulse.jpg?resize=300%2C120&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 546px) 100vw, 546px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-51607\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Table 1: Select benefits and challenges of multistakeholderism (Sources: ICANN, ICT Pulse)<\/p><\/div>\n<h3>Initial thoughts<\/h3>\n<p>With ICANN 49 scheduled to draw to a close tomorrow, 27 March, we may soon learn whether or not, or the extent to which, ICANN intends to adopt a more \u201cmultistakeholder\u201d approach to the IANA accountability transition than what it might have initially intended. It may also mean that a final agreed approach to facilitate the transition of stewardship might not be achieved by September 2015, which the current US Government contract ends. Notwithstanding, it is still incumbent on all of us to attempt to participate in the process \u2013 through our governments, local and regional representatives on the various Internet organisations, or even through ICANN directly\u00a0\u2013 and it is critical that our views as stakeholders can be considered.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Image credit:\u00a0 sixninepixels (<a title=\"Spectrum Management Steering Committee Meeting\" href=\"http:\/\/www.freedigitalphotos.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/a>);\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/meetings.icann.org\" target=\"_blank\">ICANN<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>_____________<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When there are multiple stakeholders and interests to consider, such as in the process to transition the United States&#8217; stewardship from IANA to the global Internet community, can a multistakeholder [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,11,6],"tags":[32,43,12],"class_list":["post-51605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caribbean","category-ict-tech","category-internet","tag-information-society","tag-internet-governance","tag-regulation","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/Empty-Meeting-Room-by-sixninepixels-FreeDigitalPhotos.net_.jpg?fit=400%2C265&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-dql","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51605"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51612,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51605\/revisions\/51612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}