One Size Fits All? On the Feasibility of International Internet Governance

ABSTRACT One of the most important information policy questions that has yet to be answered is how, and by whom, the Internet will be governed. The U.S. has maintained a tight grip on governance since the inception of the Internet, but mounting and unified international pressure may very well result in the transitioning of governance duties over to an international body such as the United Nations. This international governance body is expected to attempt to implement a set of global information policies to address a number of information issues. By contrast, the current governance system overseen by ICANN controls a much smaller scope of Internet policies. This article argues that international Internet governance will likely fail in terms of its ability to elicit international agreement on information policies as a result of disparities among countries.