Global Politics of Internet Regulation: Actors and Trajectory

Published: July 26, 2017, 4:25 p.m.

b'

Telecommunications & Electronic Media Practice Group Podcast

In recent years, the United Nations\\u2019 International Telecommunication Union has become an arena where governments promote rival visions of the future of the organization and, more importantly, how the Internet itself should be governed.\\xa0 These debates reflect a growing tension around a foundational question: to what extent can and should nation-states act to manage the flow of information within their sovereign territory?\\xa0 As the Internet\\u2019s importance as a driver for global economic and social growth has grown over the past decade, so too has the interest of some governments to secure for themselves a larger role in regulating the technical, economic, and policy aspects of its management. \\xa0

Governments are driven by a range of objectives as they consider the future of the Internet, including access and uptake, competition policy, privacy and security, and, in some cases, regime stability.\\xa0 Will it be possible to accommodate some governments\\u2019 desire for a more robust role and still maintain essential democratic principles such as the free flow of information between people around the world, universal human rights, and the core belief that has driven the Internet\\u2019s exponential growth over the past decade: that users, companies, and civil society \\u2013 not governments \\u2013 ought to control the Internet\\u2019s future?\\xa0 What are the political, economic, and geopolitical factors driving Internet regulation and policies?\\xa0 Umair Javed moderated a discussion with Will Hudson of Google, Sally Wentworth of the Internet Society, and Patricia Paoletta of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis to explain recent activities at the UN to influence global Internet policy.

Featuring:

  • Will Hudson,\\xa0Senior Advisor for International Policy, Google Inc.
  • Patricia J. Paoletta,\\xa0Partner, Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
  • Sally Wentworth,\\xa0Vice President of Global Policy Development, Internet Society
  • Moderator: Umair Javed,\\xa0Associate, Wiley Rein LLP\\xa0
'