International Journal of Communications Law & Policy

GOVERNING THE EGALITARIAN CORE OF THE INTERNET
By Christoph Engel

Download the Paper in PDF Format: IJCLP Web-Doc 6-10-2005

Abstract

Few would claim that regulators, or academics working on regulatory policy, have neglected the Internet. However, most of their work is attracted by the global character of the Internet. Admittedly, this is a serious challenge to regulation, but it is not the only, and probably not even the most disquieting one. In the regulatory discourse, short shrift is given to the fact that the Internet originated in the egalitarian culture of American university computer labs. Its architecture was shaped during that period. Up to the present day, many key functions for Internet management are held by people coming from that culture. This paper argues that the egalitarian challenge to Internet governance has been largely overlooked. The challenge is serious, but not unmanageable. Nevertheless, regulators must use appropriate concepts to understand the challenge. A subfield of sociology, cultural theory, is particularly instrumental for that purpose. In order to address the challenge, regulators must use a set of governance tools that deviates considerably from standard regulatory responses.

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