Internet Governance and Democratic Legitimacy (in the US)

1. Internet Governance and Democratic Legitimacy (in the US) Olivier Sylvain, sylvain@law.fordham.edu Vox Internet II: Le “droit d’entrée” 27 March 2010

2. communications policy norms

3. communications policy norms technological

4. communications policy norms technological economic

5. communications policy norms technological economic civic-minded

6. technological approaches

7. technological approaches internetworking, or, how to survive a catastrophic attack

8. technological approaches Internet Engineering Task Force (1973) TCP/IP interoperability decentralization user empowerment

9. technological approaches “Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. . . . You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather” John Perry Barlow, A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace

10. technological approaches “Code is law.” Lawrence Lessig, Code (1999)

11. technological approaches IETF’s standard-setting procedures satisfy “rational discourse ethics” more than most government processes Michael Froomkin, “Habermas@Discourse.Net”(2003)

12. technological approaches delegate first-instance policymaking to NGOs like IETF as a matter of policy Phil Weiser, The Future of Internet Regulation (2009)

13. technological approaches Comcast case (FCC 2008) sanction for “throttling” peer-to-peer Internet applications IETF standards Internet Policy Statement (FCC 2005) “network neutrality” nondiscrimination user empowerment “reasonable network management”

14. economic approaches

15. economic approaches skepticism about “administrative fiat” in communications policymaking Coase (1959)

16. economic approaches "unregulation,” competition, and monopoly Computer cases (FCC 1960s-1980s) NTCA v Brand X (2005)

17. economic approaches focus on job and economic growth Crawford (2008) Richard Whitt (& Stephen Schultze) (2009) American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (2009) National Broadband Plan (March 2010) rulemaking on “open Internet” (April 2010)

18. civic-minded approaches

19. civic-minded approaches universal access and inclusion • postal service (1789) • telephony (early 1900s) • broadcasting (1927, 1934)

20. civic-minded approaches privileging issues of public and local concern • free speech jurisprudence • broadcasting (1943, 1968, 1994) • cable (1982, 1994)

21. civic-minded approaches municipal deployment municipal Wi-Fi e.g., Philadelphia e.g., St. Louis American Recovery & Reinvestment Act e.g., Chicago

22. civic-minded approaches National Broadband Plan (March 2010) universality accessibility affordability public objectives health care education civic engagement

23. sketches of a solution

24. sketches of a solution greater indicia of democratic legitimacy in the governance of infrastructure • not IETF standards per se • not the Comcast case

25. sketches of a solution greater indicia of democratic legitimacy in the governance of infrastructure • not IETF standards per se • not the Comcast case • National Broadband Plan? • “open Internet” rulemaking?

26. sketches of a solution privileging civic-minded applications over technological or economic ones • i.e., put the Internet protocol to public uses, not technological or economic ones alone

27. sketches of a solution articulated norms • localism • municipal sovereignty • not technological sovereignty • “experimentalism” • applications at the expense of nondiscrimination • education, health, “e-government”

28. Internet Governance and Democratic Legitimacy (in the US) Olivier Sylvain, sylvain@law.fordham.edu Vox Internet II: Le “droit d’entrée” 27 March 2010