Wiley Rein's David Gross Comments on ICANN's Role in International Diplomacy

January 13, 2012

Ambassador David A. Gross, chair of Wiley Rein's International Telecommunications Group, was interviewed by NPR for a story on the expansion of Internet addresses being coordinated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). 

The change of Internet suffixes has ignited an international debate over the policy, particularly among country’s like China and India who are concerned about ICANN’s role and actions.  NPR reports that complaints are likely to be aired at the International Telecommunication Union’s meeting next December in Dubai.  Some believe that the ITU conference could result in efforts by countries such as Russia and China to “rewrite legally binding global treaties in such a way as to radically change how the Internet would be governed worldwide.”

Amb. Gross, who has represented the U.S. at more international telecommunications conferences than anyone in modern history, said that these issues are critically important because "Governments, the private sector, technical groups, nongovernmental organizations and others should all have a say in how the Internet should develop," Amb. Gross said.  "Other governments would like to see increased governmental control as a way of suppressing the free flow of information or innovation and changes that the Internet would bring."