[Kictanet] US RETAINS INTERNET CONTROL

[alice at apc.org]

US RETAINS INTERNET CONTROL
17.11.2005. 10:36:34

Control of the domain name system that governs internet traffic will
remain in US hands under an agreement adopted at a United Nations
technology summit in Tunisia.

Under the eleventh- hour deal the California-based Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), which answers to
the US government, will remain in control of the daily management of
the internet.

The European Union says the agreement will lead to "further
internationalisation of Internet governance, and enhanced
intergovernmental cooperation to this end".

But despite EU pressure, there is no mechanism forcing United States
to share oversight of the domain name system.

US Ambassador David Mr Gross, who is the head of the US delegation at
the meeting, says the deal essentially endorsed the status quo.

"There's nothing new in this document that wasn't already out there
before," Ambassador Gross said.

Nations such as China and Iran had been pushing for an international
body under UN auspices to oversee the net.

Widening the web

The three-day meeting, convened by more than 170 countries, aims to
find ways to use information communication technologies to help
improve living standards in some of the world's poorest nations.

Opening the event, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the world
to do more to narrow the technology gap between rich and poor.

But worldwide only 14% of the population is online, compared with 62%
in the US.

In his address to the meeting, Mr Annan said that "for far too many
people, the gains remain out of reach".

"There is a tremendous yearning, not for technology per se, but for
what technology can make possible," he said, urging delegates to take
action.

"The hurdles are more of a political than financial nature," he added.
"It is possible to lower the costs of connectivity, computers and
mobile phones."

But money remains a key issue. A voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund
intended to help finance technology projects in developing countries
has so far only raised $9 million in cash and pledges.

"The challenge to the developing world is now to make sure they have
the infrastructure, rules, legal processes and the market systems to
attract the investment of the technologies that we see on display at
the summit," said US Assistant Secretary for Commerce Michael Gallagher.

Wind-up Computer

At the conference, team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) unveiled a wind-up laptop computer that can be bought
for as little as $130- a price tag low enough to offer bring the
benefits of the Internet to many people living in developing countries.

The relatively basic machine uses a 500 MHz processor and is installed
with the reliable and free Linux operating system.

Other features include wireless Internet connectivity and a small, 1
Gigabyte memory space, still enough to allow users to access the Internet.

The most outstanding feature is a crank-handle fitted on one side of
the machine that allows its battery to be recharged by manual winding
- a precious asset where access to electrical power is scarce.

The model, which is scheduled to go into production in 2006, will not
be available for sale but will be distributed to schools directly
through large government initiatives.

A new, non-profit association, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), has been
created to co-ordinate the computer's distribution.

The aim is to produce some five million units a year, with the first
models destined for distribution in Brazil, China, Egypt, South Africa
and Thailand.



SOURCE: World News





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