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FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell on why U.N. efforts to regulate the web would be detrimental, particularly to emerging markets.
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Well as your Internet freedom at risk Russia and China are leading a push to get the United Nations more control over the Internet.
It's a focus of the key meeting in Geneva on Monday in our next guest says it it could affect free trade national sovereignty.
Worldwide FCC commissioner Robert McDowell road to about the -- a Wall Street Journal op Ed.
And he joins us now commissioner it is great to have you -- you wrote a great eye opening piece on the issue that is at stake.
Through a vote did vote on a treaty via the United Nations tell us is very simply.
-- -- out for us what's at stake here when it comes to the Internet and what the United Nations is proposing right now.
Sure there's actually -- subsidiary of the UN called the international telecommunications union or ITU and it has had domain over Telecom international Telecom regulations through treaties.
Over the past many many decades.
The last time we negotiated such -- treaty was 1988.
And that actually created the current.
Deregulatory environment that we have for the Internet worldwide.
It's another -- to keep the Internet.
Insulated from legacy monopoly telephone type -- regulations.
So there have been several attempts over the years by a lot of other countries especially the developing world but.
Led by the brick or companies or Brazil Russia India China.
Two expand the I'd -- jurisdiction into Internet governance so that's everything from economic regulation of the Internet.
To the administration Internet domain names like dot com and go to -- and things like that.
But also engineering standards cyber security and privacy among many other ideas.
And we see the effort this time much more organized than in the past and the proponents of freedom or opponents of regulation if you will.
Being less organized and behind the curve and that's very troubles.
Police say this -- potential impact freedom on the Internet that growth and the Internet industries and and and that individuals using.
The web all around them are around the world tell me what the United States is stance on they should be -- that we can't just say no to the issue.
That we have to be a lot more proactive here what do you think needs to be done and response to these measures set and get.
-- clear support but nations including Russia and China which have a very different approach to the web.
Right -- and -- -- has operated in a consensus driven way but this time does appear to be a little bit different now I've spoken to folks.
Within the Obama administration the State Department is supposed to -- these negotiations -- -- commerce SEC places support role for technical purposes.
But the president has yet to appoint the head of delegation or an ambassador of sorts for this negotiation although we've known it's coming been coming for for years.
So the best thing we can do I think is to put the word out that.
A regulated Internet to regulated -- -- international level really any level is more detrimental to the developing world to the Third World.
Than it is to -- industrialized world because a lot of industrialized nations.
Such as the United States I would hope would opt out of such -- -- -- would end up -- -- -- or balkanized Internet.
And for an engineering perspective that's really unworkable the Internet is a global network of networks without borders.
Especially when you have the wireless to mention it's even further without borders so how do you start displacing an offer compartmentalizing.
So it actually would be detrimental more to the developing world into the industrialized.
Let me ask you commissioner the -- and congress is proposing a various number of a different legislative pieces out there keep that keep so all these accidents basically trying to.
Monitor the Internet sat a lot more because up until now I had been a wild wild west which is -- growth and opportunity in money but at some point it's also.
Creating problems such as piracy where you come out on the issue of that -- regulation on the -- should it be ads on regulated as it is now or is it inevitable.
Ever gonna start to see changes.
Well as a bit of -- via the Internet is completely lawless that is not the case antitrust laws apply in our country anyway.
Consumer protection laws intellectual property laws you're stealing intellectual property can't steal it legally through the Internet it's still illegal so there are a lot of laws that that applied to the Internet is a tool -- like any other tool we've had a industry.
So we wanna make sure that that we can protect things like intellectual property which you raised.
But that we are not endangering Internet freedom that we are not giving -- governments -- power to censor.
-- -- -- the balance of SP struck without legislation but from the UN perspective of the -- perspective.
The one the other dangers of the countries would be surrendering their their sovereignty.
To an international body but it would just be detrimental to the economies the developing world in particular.
And also you know keeping my -- let's look at some of these countries were pushing for this some of them are not necessarily -- proponents of freedom in general let alone Internet freedom.
So there -- a variety of the motivations I think driving this including.
Wanting and wanting their local phone companies sometimes owned by local governments.
Let's be able to charge maybe on a per click basis for certain web sites -- -- is that a view of the Internet is being dominated by the US as well so.
Whether it's Google or FaceBook or AT&T in its long pipes.
Facilities that comprise Internet backbone.
A lot of nations the world -- the Internet has been dominant by the USB you know what.
FaceBook Google -- the overall software creations that someone could actually trade on their home computer they wanted.
-- they can do so in other parts of the world and a global properties -- that.
Exactly exactly and to have assets all over the world to so the whole world is benefiting and having you know the next Google could come from Africa -- in the mideast -- well.
Well that's that is the beauty of of the world wide web FCC commissioner Robert make out big changes I could it's back sad how the Internet is used all around the globe thanks for bringing that sad that -- -- Clinton thinks that.
