Internet Governance and the Global South

Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business

Series Editors: Professor Petros Iosifidis, Professor Jeanette Steemers and Professor GeraldSussman

Editorial Board: Sandra Braman, Peter Dahlgren, Terry Flew, Charles Fombad, ManuelAlejandro Guerrero, Alison Harcourt, Robin Mansell, Richard Maxwell, Toby Miller,Zizi Papacharissi, Stylianos Papathanassopoulos, Caroline Pauwels, Robert Picard, KiranPrasad, Marc Raboy, Chang Yong Son, Miklos Suksod, Kenton T. Wilkinson and SugminYoun

This innovative series examines the wider social, political, economic and technologicalchanges arising from the globalization of the media and communications industries andassesses their impact on matters of business practice, regulation and policy. Consideringmedia convergence, industry concentration and new communications practices, the seriesmakes reference to the paradigmatic shift from a system based on national decision-makingand the traditions of public service in broadcast and telecommunications delivery to onethat is demarcated by commercialization, privatization and monopolization. Bearing in mindthis shift, and based on a multi-disciplinary approach, the series tackles three key questions:To what extent do new media developments require changes in regulatory philosophy andobjectives? To what extent do new technologies and changing media consumption requirechanges in business practices and models? And to what extent does privatization alter thecreative freedom and public accountability of media enterprises?

Abu BhuiyanINTERNET GOVERNANCE AND THE GLOBAL SOUTHDemand for a New Framework

Benedetta BreviniPUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING ONLINEA Comparative European Policy Study of PSB 2.0

Karen Donders, Caroline Pauwels and Jan Loisen (editors)PRIVATE TELEVISION IN WESTERN EUROPEContent, Markets, Policies

Tom Evens, Petros Iosifidis and Paul SmithTHE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF TELEVISION SPORTS RIGHTS

Petros IosifidisGLOBAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION POLICYAn International Perspective

Michael StarksTHE DIGITAL TELEVISION REVOLUTIONOrigins to Outcomes

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Internet Governanceand the Global SouthDemand for a New Framework

Abu BhuiyanUniversity of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Palgravemacmillan

© Abu Bhuiyan 2014

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First published 2014 byPALGRAVE MACMILLAN

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To my son, Oniruddho, and wife, Farhana

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Contents

List of Tables viii

Acknowledgments ix

List of Acronyms x

1 Global South and Supranational Internet Policymaking 1

2 From UNESCO to ICANN: Rise of a New Model of GlobalCommunication Policymaking 20

3 Uniqueness of ICANN 39

4 Resistance to the ICANN Model of Internet Governance 51

5 Bridging Digital Divide: Neoliberal Means withState Control(?) 73

6 Multilingualism: Does It Legitimize the ICANN Model? 97

7 Intellectual Property Rights on the Internet: The GlobalSouth’s Struggle for a Lenient Regime 113

8 Cybersecurity and States: Same Bed, Different Nightmares 136

9 New Multilateralism for Internet Policymaking 156

Notes 169

Bibliography 197

Index 217

vii

Tables

3.1 ICANN’s Board of Directors 464.1 The formation of the WGIG 565.1 Interregional Internet backbone capacity/bandwidth 745.2 Internet penetration: Internet subscribers and users per

100 inhabitants 865.3 Ranking of the leading states in the global south: ICT

Diffusion Index 2004 87

viii

Acknowledgments

The idea for this work came to my mind immediately after the WorldSummit on Information Society (WSIS) meeting in 2005. ProfessorYuezhi Zhao at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser Uni-versity was a major inspiration for this. Scholarly publications andseminars on the WSIS were preoccupied with civil society heroics—how civil society emerged as a key actor in global communicationby challenging the dominance of states. But there was hardly anydiscussion about the global south, which once tried to restructureinternational communication through the New World Information andCommunication Order (NWICO). Both Zhao and I were shocked tosee this lacuna in contemporary global communication studies. Zhaosuggested that I could help remedy this gap. I took her observationseriously, and thought that, as a postcolonial subject, I had a moralobligation to pursue such a project. It began as a doctoral dissertationat the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in BritishColumbia, Canada. This work has subsequently been shaped by manydiscussions with Zhao at different coffee shops in Vancouver. E-mailconversations with Professor Daniel Schiller were also a key influencein developing its theoretical framework.

I am also grateful to Professor Andrew Calabrese at the Departmentof Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, ProfessorPeter Anderson at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser Uni-versity, Professor Catherine Murray at the School of Communication atSimon Fraser University, Professor Janet Wasko, President of the Inter-national Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)and Professor of Media and Communication at the University ofOregon, the editors of this book series, Professor Petros Iosifidis, JeanetteSteemers, and Gerald Sussman, and the anonymous reviewers for theirvaluable comments.

Finally, thanks are due to my wife, Farhana, and son, Oniruddho. Thisbook is the result of contributions from many people. I give credit to allof them for its success, but take full responsibility for any errors.

ix

Acronyms

AFP Agence France PresseAMARC World Association of Community Radio BroadcastersAP Associated PressAPC Association for Progressive CommunicationASCII American Standard Code for Information InterchangeASN Autonomous System NumbersATI Tunisian Internet AgencyBCUN Business Council for the United NationsBIRPI United International Bureaux for the Protection of

Intellectual PropertyBJP Bharatia Janata PartyBSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam LimitedCANET Chinese Academic NetworkCCBI Coordinating Committee on Business InterlocutorsccTLD Country Code Top Level DomainCDNC Chinese Domain Names ConsortiumCENSAI National Center for Teaching and Self-Advancement

in InformaticsCERTs Computer Emergency Response TeamsCIX Commercial Internet ExchangeCNNIC China Internet Network Information CenterCOPUOS Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer SpaceCORE Council of RegistrarsCRIS Communication Rights in the Information SocietyCSB Civil Society BureauCSIA Cyber Security Industry AllianceCSIRTs Computer Security Incident Response TeamsCSNET Computer Sciences NetworkDARPA Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyDBS Direct Broadcast SatellitesDCI Data Communication Company of IranDCMA Digital Millennium Copyright ActDDN Defense Data NetworkDISA Defense Information System AgencyDNS Domain Name System

x

List of Acronyms xi

DNSO Domain Name Supporting OrganizationDSF Digital Solidarity FundEC European CommissionECSG Electronic Commerce Steering GroupECT Electronic Communications and Transactions ActELN National Liberation Army of BoliviaENISA European Network and Information Security AgencyERNet Educational and Research NetworkERRF European Rapid Reaction ForceEU European UnionFARC Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaFBI Federal Bureau of InvestigationFCC Federal Communication CommissionFDI Foreign Direct InvestmentFISA Foreign Intelligence Surveillance ActFTA Free Trade AgreementGAC Government Advisory Committee, ICANNGAPP General Administration of Press and PublicationGATT General Agreement on Tariffs and TradeGBDe Global Business Dialogue on Electronic CommerceGI Geographical IndicationGIC Global Internet CouncilGIGF Global Internet Governance ForumGIIC Global Information Infrastructure CommissionGIPC Global Internet Policy CouncilGSP Generalized System of PreferencesgTLD Generic Top-level DomaingTLD-MoU Generic Top Level Domain-Memorandum of

UnderstandingHKNIC Hong Kong Network Information CenterHTML Hypertext Markup LanguageHTTP Hypertext Transfer ProtocolIAB Internet Architecture BoardIAHC International Ad Hoc CommitteeIAMCR International Association for Media and

Communication ResearchIANA Internet Assigned Numbers AuthorityICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and

NumbersICC International Chamber of CommerceICP Internet Content Provider

xii List of Acronyms

ICT Information and Communication TechnologyIDN Internationalized Domain NameIDNA Internationalized Domain Names in ApplicationIETF Internet Engineering Task ForceIFPI International Federation of the Phonographic

IndustryIGF Internet Governance ForumIIC International Internet CouncilIMF International Monetary FundINRIA French Institute for Research in Computer Science

and ControlINTA International Trademark AssociationIP Internet ProtocolIPDC International Program for the Development of

CommunicationIPR Intellectual Property RightsIRSIT Regional Institute for Computer Sciences and

TelecommunicationsIRTF Internet Research Task ForceISOC Internet SocietyISP Internet Service ProviderITAA Information Technology Association of AmericaITU International Telecommunication UnionJET Joint Engineering TeamJPA Joint Project AgreementJPNIC Japanese Network Information CenterKRNIC Republic of Korea Network Information CenterLNCC National Laboratory of Scientific ComputingMERIT Michigan Educational Research Information TriadMII Ministry of Information Industry, ChinaMIIT Ministry of Information Industry and Technology,

ChinaMIME Multipurpose Internet Mail ExtensionsMINC Multilingual Internet Name ConsortiumMMI Money Matters InstituteMONIC Macau Network Information CenterMPAA Motion Picture Association of AmericaMTNL Mahanagar Telecom Nigam LimitedNAM Non-Aligned MovementNGOs Non-Government OrganizationsNIC National Intelligence Council

List of Acronyms xiii

NIIO New International Information OrderNSA National Security AgencyNSF National Science Foundation, USNSFNET National Science Foundation NetworkNSI Network Solution Inc.NTIA National Telecommunications Information

Administration, USNWICO New World Information and Communication OrderOAS Organization of the American StatesOECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and

DevelopmentPOC Policy Oversight CommitteePOCA Prevention of Organized Crime ActPKI Public Key InfrastructureRFC Request for CommentRIRs Regional Internet RegistriesRNP National Education and Research Network, BrazilRNRT National Research and Technology Network, BrazilSATRA Independent Communications Authority of South

AfricaSDO Internet Standards Development OrganizationsSMTP Simple Mail Transfer ProtocolSRI-NIC Stanford Research Institute Network Information

CenterTCI Telecommunication Company of IranTNCs Transnational CorporationsTRIPS Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property RightsTWNIC Taiwan Network Information CenterUCL University College LondonUDHR Universal Declaration of Human RightsUDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution PolicyUK United KingdomUN United NationsUNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and

DevelopmentUNESCO United Nations Economic Scientific and Cultural

OrganizationUNICT TF United Nations Information and Communication

Technology Task ForceUS United States of AmericaUSCIB United States Council for International Business

xiv List of Acronyms

USDoC United States Department of CommerceUSDoD United States Department of DefenseUSTR Office of the US Trade RepresentativeVOA Voice of AmericaVSNL Videsh Sanchar Nigam LtdWACC World Association for Christian CommunicationWATTC Worldwide Administration of Telegraph and

Telephone ConferenceWCT WIPO Copyright TreatyWEF World Economic ForumWGIG Working Group on Internet GovernanceWIPO World Intellectual Property OrganizationWITSA World Information Technology and Services AllianceWPPT WIPO Performances and Phonograms TreatyWSIS World Summit on Information SocietyWTO World Trade OrganizationWTPF World Telecommunication Policy ForumWWW World Wide Web