Subject: Internet Companies Welcome Idea of Global Charter (fwd)

From: "Rick H. Wesson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 17:06:09 -0800 (PST)

Tuesday October 28 2:59 PM EST 

Internet Companies Welcome Idea of Global Charter

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A group of U.S., European and
Japanese companies involved in the Internet informally
welcomed a European Union proposal to draw up a
charter to govern the global computer network. 

The companies, who have united as the Global Internet
Project (GIP), said they wanted to be involved in the
process, Peter F. Harter, global public policy counsel for
Netscape Communications, told Reuters. 

"(They) will individually provide input as to how industry
may play the best role," he said following a meeting in
Brussels. 

EU Telecommunications Commissioner Martin
Bangemann has proposed drawing up an international
charter to deal with questions such as technical
standards, illegal content, licenses, encryption and data
privacy on the Internet and other electronic networks. 

One of his aides explained the proposal to the GIP
companies Monday. 

Harter said they welcomed the idea of a global approach
because they want to avoid a chaotic situation where they
have to account to a variety of bodies, including national
governments, regional groupings such as the EU and
United Nations or other international agencies. 

"If government forums are not streamlined, imagine how
difficult it is going to be for the smaller companies of the
world," he said. 

Companies attending the Brussels meeting included
AT&T WorldNet Service, IBM, Fujitsu, GTE
Internetworking, BBN Planet, British Telecom and Visa
International.

---

From: Claudio Allocchio +39 40 3758523 <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:22:13 +0200

> Internetworking, BBN Planet, British Telecom and Visa

And these newcomers (yes I said newcomers) claims rights to give giudance 
over the Internet?

They discovered the Internet only when they believed it was a way to make 
more revenues, after decades where they tried to sell proprietary or OSI 
services to customers, stating that the Internet was a toy for researchers...

Sorry for being a bit rude... but the press release simply seems to me at 
least ridiculous!

regards

Claudio Allocchio

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From: "vinton g. cerf" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 17:56:40 -0500

I think what the GIP companies are saying is that they'd
prefer a global rather than a regional framework for
Internet governance - however, I am surprised if they
take the view that the European Commission is the appropriate
body to lead this effort. MCI is a member of GIP and I'm
looking into this to get details. I think it would be 
helpful if the EC participates in discussions about Internet
issues - especially those that seem to require compatible
legal frameworks around the world to support, e.g. digital
signatures as a tool for electronic commerce. 

However, I think we have adequate mechanisms already in
place in which to discuss and agree upon technical standards
(IETF) and administrative functions (IANA, NICs, CORE, etc).

Vint

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From: "Carl Malamud [IMS]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 07:44:07 -0500 (EST)

Bangemann's group has spent several hundred million
dollars on "information highway" projects.  Their 
Global Charter effort is simply part of an effort 
to prove they haven't wasted their money.  They
have a 10-year track record of "leadership" in this
area and this is a typical example.

I view this all as fairly harmless, but then
I don't pay taxes in the European Union.

Carl

---

From: Martin Essenburg <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 19:17:59 -0500

I agree.... We all know Vint Cerf :) and we all know when the Internet
started....Remember 300-1200 baud dialup to get mail from a host

Telnet and Gopher were the best tools

Boy do I feel old....

MJE

-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Martin Essenburg |  "Where's the ka-boom? There's supposed to be an
  HostMaster@    |  Earth-shattering ka-boom!...Heavens! Someone has
  SunGod.com     |  stolen the Illudium Q-38 Explosive Space Modulator!
"Delays, delays!"|  The Earth creature has *stolen* the Space
Modulator!"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

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From: Sampo A Syreeni <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 09:39:00 +0200 (EET)

On Thu, 30 Oct 1997, Carl Malamud [IMS] wrote:

>to prove they haven't wasted their money.

But money never buys rights over ideology. Big companies and/or governments
should not come and dictate how to operate the internet. (OK, sounds kind
of naive, but still...)

>They

But even you put leadership in quotes. These companies' leadership is really
nothing more than a part of a 'sensible' business strategy. Why should we
(the little people who mostly inhabitate the Net) succumb to such strategies
which only aim to profit the companies - at our expense?

I view this all as fairly harmless, but then I don't pay taxes in the
European Union.

Well... You can count on the proceedings of these conferences to spread
fairly rapidly if they get enough backing inside EU. It may well be that
you'll run into the consequences a few years from now... Especially if you
ever work for a smaller company - those never have any say on what the big
guys decide.

Sampo Syreeni <[email-masked]>, Decoy/Dawn, Student (Math, Helsinki University)
Only gods and gurus like doing math. We, we just kinda like having it around.

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From: Sampo A Syreeni <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 09:46:28 +0200 (EET)

>signatures as a tool for electronic commerce. 

That much is true. If legal binding is asked for, one must contact a
government. And EU, by its directives, has a direct influence on its
members' legistlation. But as we have so often seen, EU is quite a stiff
organization - its machinery isn't exactly well suited to interaction with
such dynamic entities as the net community is.

>(IETF) and administrative functions (IANA, NICs, CORE, etc).

But that is just the problem for big companies. They do not have direct
influence over such independent organizations.