Jay Fenello on 6 Oct 2000 02:13:23 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] Re: <nettime> Al Gore and the Internet |
At 06:45 AM 10/5/00, Roberto Verzola wrote: > >Internet has the capacity to become a primary infrastructure > >for communication during the 21st century, overtaking the > >telephone and absorbing the mass media. I wish it could be > >maintained as a neutral infrastructure - in the sense that > >any telephone can call any other. Even in the telephone system, > >there are inconsistencies with that vision (such as blocking > >of certain numbers in businesses that don't want employees > >wasting telephone time and money on 900 number services in the > >US). The Internet as an infrastructure has to be supported and > >maintained and that costs money. At present, the best engine > >for achieving that is to make Internet a commercially supported > >vehicle. Even national governments around the world could not > >afford to pour into Internet the level of resources that the > >private sector has provided and will likely continue to provide. > >This is probably the most important debate regarding the future >direction of the Internet: will it be a public commons, maintained by >public funds, or private space? Today it is increasingly private >space, both the hardware infrastructure such as communication lines, >routers and servers, and the software infrastructure such as IP number >assignments and the DNS. > >The way Vint Cerf describes it, there is no choice but to make it even >more so. And the way he sounded, the debate has ended before it could >even begin in public. > >Civil society is being seduced to move all its manifestations to the >Internet. Take care: we are being pushed/pulled ("there is no >choice"/"the net is great") to move from public to private grounds. >The private owners might seem benevolent, but it is in *their* >property where we are being asked to live our future lives. If we can >be ejected from public spaces like the radio spectrum, how much more >from private spaces like the Internet? > >Roberto Verzola Hi Robert, I'm new to this list, but joined after seeing Vint's posting here. From my perspective, civil society isn't being seduced, it is being systematically excluded! Here's a recent article I wrote on this topic. FYI: Jay. >The Promise of the Internet > By Jay Fenello > An Aligning With Purpose(sm) Column > >Over the last couple of months, I've been trying to >write an update about ICANN, the world's new Internet >Governance body. It's not that I've had nothing to >say, it's just that nothing has changed -- ICANN is >still behaving very badly, and it is still marching >forward without any opposition from those in a >position to stop it. > >In fact, in a recent radio interview on the topic <http://www.programs.wfcr.com/pm091200.ram>, one of >the DJ's asked me what people could do to stop ICANN? >I am sorry to say, I had *no* suggestions! > >Imagine the implications of this statement. We have >just finished establishing the world's first Internet >Governance body, and it is corrupt. Has been from day >one. (It was founded through a corrupt process!) >And there is nothing we can do about it!!! > >Truth of the matter is, ICANN exists because it was >supported by the U.S. Government, by huge multinational >corporations, and by the elite media. (See comments by >Larry Lessig, famed legal scholar and candidate for the >ICANN Board <http://www.egroups.com/message/awpd/150>.) > >That ICANN exists, and that it continues to behave badly, >are both very troubling. More importantly though, is what >these facts say about our government? About our media? >About our judicial system? If any of these institutions >worked as our mythology would have us believe, ICANN would >not be a problem today. But ICANN does exist, and it is a >problem. > >This transfer of regulatory authority from a sovereign >nation to a supra-national NGO is certainly a trend >these days. Consider for a moment the WTO (World Trade >Organization). It operates on the same model as ICANN, >and is supported by the same cast of characters. (see >the Harvard interview for similarities: <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/is99/governance/fenello.html#wto>). > >But why? Why is the U.S. Government working with >multinational corporations and the elite media to further >an agenda that is destroying our civil rights and our >national sovereignty in the process? > >Here's my theory: Throughout history, there has always >been an "upper class" who has made decisions for everyone >else. When this upper class has been "enlightened," the >countries have prospered in peace and prosperity. When >this upper class has been "corrupted" with unlimited >power, it has been the worst of times. > >The difference between an "enlightened" and a "corrupted" >upper class is often the degree of power they hold over >their subjects, and the degree of control they hold over >information. (Absolute power, and all that . . .) > >Our history includes many examples of people controlling >information in order to control the populace. Some examples >include the power of the church before the Reformation, and >the power of the fascist state during World War II. In both >examples, the power structure depended on the control of >information. > >So what does this say about our current situation? > >First, we must realize that power is fleeting, and it is >always cycling between consolidation and dispersion. In >fact, since our country's birth, there have been many >cycles of power consolidation and dispersion. (Consider >the trust busting activities of Teddy Roosevelt.) > >Second, we must also realize that technology is a great >destabilizer of power. (Consider how the printing press >helped people like Martin Luther expose the hypocrisy of >the church, leading to its eventual decline.) > >Finally, changes in power structures that result from >changes in technology can not be stopped! If the existing >power structure recognizes that the changes are inevitable, >they can embrace the changes and share in the new order. >If the existing power structure holds on too tightly, the >changes can be violent and deadly. (Compare how England >and France transitioned from monarchies to modern states: >The English monarchy retained some power in a peaceful >evolution, while the French monarchy was beheaded in >a violent revolution). > >Over the last several decades, we have seen tremendous >growth in the power and influence of the modern corporation. >And as these corporations have grown in power, they have >also changed the rules of the game. What was once considered >bribery, is now called "soft money." And what was once a >government by the people, for the people, now seems to be >a government for large corporations, by large corporations. > >Consider the special gifts that large corporations receive >from publicly financed initiatives (what Ralph Nader calls >"corporate welfare"). We see it in the gifting of Internet >assets to the *right* corporations, and we see it in the >gifting of huge blocks of radio spectrum to broadcasters). > >And consider those special gifts that help the existing >power structure retain control, like the Telecom Act of >1996. Before this act, corporations had a strict limit >on the number of media outlets they could own or control. >After the Act, these restrictions were greatly reduced. >Today, less than 10 media giants own or control over 80% >of *all* media outlets! (That's why we see 20 minutes >of news covering what Elian Gonzalez had for breakfast, >but nothing on legislation pending before Congress!!!) > >Just like the French aristocracy before it, it would >appear that our current establishment is desperately >trying to hang on to their power and control despite >the challenges brought about by new technologies. > >The Promise of the Internet > >Yes, ICANN is corrupt. Yes, it is the result of a >corrupt process. Yes, it continues to behave as the >worst form of governance. > >[In addition to multiple complaints about ICANN gaming >it's current elections, it is also rumored that the ICANN >staff has been soliciting new TLD applications from some >of the huge corporations who funded ICANN's start. If true >(and based on ICANN's prior excesses, it probably is), it >is a form of fraud and conspiracy designed to consciously >and deliberately harm the small businesses that started new >TLDs years ago. See www.iperdome.com and www.webtld.com >for more info.] > >But there is reason for hope. First, we are starting >to see some real debate over the failings of ICANN. ><http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,17779,00.html> > >Second, despite the repeated charges of ICANN gaming >the elections, there is an outside chance that a real >reformer will be elected to the ICANN board. Even so, >there is no guarantee that a single person will be >able to change anything. > >Now, some claim that anyone who works within ICANN is >a traitor to the cause, but I'll reserve judgement. If >and when those small companies that were harmed by the >ICANN steamroller are acknowledged and treated fairly, >I'll know that the ICANN problem has been solved. > >But ultimately, changes of this magnitude require a >new consciousness on the part of the people. Just like >the printing press helped dispel the illusion presented >by the church, the Internet will help dispel the illusion >presented by our elite media. And once the existing power >structure shares some of its power and control (preferably >voluntarily), our world will become a better place. > >That is the promise of the Internet >-- and the promise of our future. > >Until next time . . . > >+++ > >Jay Fenello, >New Media Strategies >------------------------------------ >http://www.fenello.com 678-585-9765 >Aligning with Purpose(sm) ... for a Better World >------------------------------------------------------- >"We are witness to the emergence of an epic struggle >between corporate globalization and popular democracy." >http://cyberjournal.org/cj/korten/korten_feasta.shtml > -- David Korten > >Copyright (c) 2000 Jay Fenello -- All rights reserved > >Permission is hereby granted to 1) redistribute this >column in its entirety via email, discussion lists, >and newsgroups, and 2) publish this column in its >entirety on non-profit web sites. > >To join in the discussion on the topics in this column, >subscribe to the Aligning with Purpose(sm) discussion list >by sending a blank email to awpd-subscribe@eGroups.com. > >To receive future issues of this column, subscribe to the >Aligning with Purpose(sm) announcements list by sending a >blank email to awpa-subscribe@eGroups.com. +++ Jay Fenello, New Media Strategies ------------------------------------ http://www.fenello.com 678-585-9765 Aligning with Purpose(sm) ... for a Better World -------------------------------------------------------- "The refusal of the ICANN junta to relinquish to others the institutions they claim to have built is itself the most damning condemnation of their work." -- Ted Byfield _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold