Global Internet Governance

Lead Instructor: Dr. William Drake, Director of International Studies at Columbia University’s Institute for Tele-Information, and veteran of ICANN, IGF and WEF

Global Internet governance concerns the international and transnational institutions that guide
the operation and use of the Internet. Over the past 25 years, how the Internet should be
governed has been the focus of substantial global debate and has given rise to new forms of
international cooperation among governments, corporations, the Internet technical community,
and civil society. This course surveys the historical evolution and contemporary dynamics of that
cooperation, and draws on both the scholarly and policy practitioner discussions and the
lecturer's extensive experience in Internet governance processes. Throughout the course we
will interweave two levels of analysis: overviews of the institutions, interests, and dynamics
shaping the key governance issue-areas; and attention to the concerns and roles of
governments and stakeholders from the developing countries.
The course is organized as follows. Day One lays the conceptual foundations and considers
the nature of global Internet governance and the Internet’s ecosystem of multistakeholder
technical institutions. Day Two maps the development of global governance processes in the
21 st Century and assesses both the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society and the
evolution of key institutions and debates in the years since that watershed event. After this
background, Day Three addresses the dynamics of multilateral cooperation and the ways in
which Internet governance has been addressed by key UN agencies and other international
organizations. Day Four turns to the dynamics of multistakeholder cooperation by focusing on
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, including its transition from US
government oversight to independence and the role of governments in its activities. For this
discussion we will be joined by a prominent senior representative of the Argentine government
who has significant experience in ICANN and other multistakeholder processes. Day Five
considers the new governance challenges associated with the growing importance of data and
the transition to a global digital economy, including the increasing tensions between Internet
fragmentation and openness. Finally, Day Six looks at future prospects and assesses the UN’s
new Global Digital Cooperation agenda and the options for improving global Internet
governance.

• This course is intended for people working in the public policymaking and advocacy
  arenas who wish to understand and even participate in global Internet governance
  processes.
• Upon completing the course, participants will have a deeper practical understanding of
  the complex issues, actors and dynamics associated with multistakeholder, multilateral,
  and hybrid institutions for global Internet governance and digital cooperation.
• No prior knowledge is required. Every participant will bring their own unique expertise
  and experience to the discussion.