AP reports about the first U.N. summit on information technology. Who controls the Internet and how richer nations should subsidize its growth in poorer countries are central issues dividing planners a month ahead of the world conference.
More than 50 heads of state have confirmed their attendance at the Dec. 10-12 meeting in Geneva, but there’s still no agreement on what they’ll be asked to consider.
Among the major questions to be addressed are:
Should key decisions about controlling the Internet’s core systems remain with the U.S. government and a private organization of technical and business experts known as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number, or ICANN?
How far should the summit explicitly embrace freedom of expression?
Should a separate funding pool be created to address the technology gap between richer and poorer nations?
