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
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