In research, one of the important steps is to identify the problem that needs exploration. Another step is to identify how to find a solution. Once it is possible to agree on the nature of the problem, then it begins to be a matter of how to approach the problem.

The proposal “The Internet an International Public Treasure” (“Public Treasure”) (refer to: “The Internet and Open Architecture: Determining How to Replace ICANN”) was submitted to the U.S. government at the end of August 1998. This was before the ICANN proposal was submitted. The “Public Treasure” proposal identifies the need to create an appropriate management structure for the infrastructure of the Internet. It proposes a process to find a solution. The process is to create a collaborative prototype for input from users and for reporting to users on the activity of the research group. The experience of the researchers participating in this prototype will help to identify the problems to be solved in order to make possible the needed international collaborative structure for managing the Internet’s infrastructure.

The proposal refers to the testimony given to the U.S. Congress in 1998 by Robert Kahn, co-creator of TCP/IP. Kahn working as part of the leadership at the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO) to make possible the Internet’s birth and development. (refer to: “The Internet: An International Public Treasure”) In his testimony, Kahn documents two lessons that can be learned from the role played by the U.S. government in the Internet’s birth and early development. These are:

1. The U.S. Government funded the necessary research

2. It made sure the networking community had the responsibility for its operation, and insulated it to a very great extent from bureaucratic obstacles and commercial matters so it could evolve dynamically.

Kahn recommends providing the means to protect the functions of the Internet’s infrastructure, which are critical to the continued operation of the Internet so they could be operated “in such a way as to insulate them as much as possible from bureaucratic, commercial and political wrangling.”

How is it possible to create such a protection? This is the first question that the proposal should explore. The need to provide the funds and support for the necessary research is a second question to be considered after some progress is made with the first question.

That is the challenge to be able to create an appropriate management structure for the Internet’s infrastructure.

Kahn also recommends that “The relevant US government agencies should remain involved until a workable solution is found and, thereafter retain oversight of the process until and unless an appropriate international oversight mechanism can supplant it.”

In examining the development of the Internet, an essential problem that becomes evident is that the Internet has become international, but the systems that allow there to be an Internet are under the administration and control of one nation. These include control over the allocation of domain names and IP addresses, the assignment of protocol numbers and services, and control over the root server system and the protocols and standards development process related to the Internet. These have been under the control and administration of the U.S. Government or contractors to it.

In his testimony to Congress, Kahn notes this problem, indicating that “the governance issue must take into account the needs and desires of others outside the United States to participate.”

How is this possible without political wrangling and commercial competition? How is it possible to protect the operation of the Internet from commercial and political pressures, so as to create a means of sharing administration and oversight of the Internet’s essential functions?

Kahn’s testimony also indicates a need to maintain “integrity in the Internet architecture including the management of IP addresses and the need for oversight of critical functions.”

The “Public Treasure” proposal to the U.S. Department of Commerce states:

“I. The U.S. Government is to create a research project or institute (which can be in conjunction with universities, appropriate research institutes, etc.)”

The goal of this project or institute is to sponsor and carry out the research toward creating a collaborative and protected management structure for the Internet’s infrastructure.

The project is not to create the actual management structure, but to explore what the difficulties are to support the collaboration needed to create such a management structure.

The goal is to support the collaboration of researchers from several diverse entities to create a prototype and to determine the obstacles to the needed collaboration.

The proposal is that U.S. researchers collaborate with researchers from other countries or regions that would want to participate in the research. It would be adequate to limit the number of participants to no fewer than three different countries or regions as that is adequate to explore the problems of working together of a limited number of diverse collaborators. For example, this could include researchers from the U.S. working with researchers from the European Union, and researchers from a developing region that could be supported in their participation by the United Nations.

While the number of researchers participating in the prototype would be limited, their goal would be to create an open process of work that would welcome and utilize concerns and other means of feedback from the broad ranging communities of users of the Internet.

The “Public Treasure” proposal describes this objective:

“The researchers will as much as possible utilize the Internet to carry out their work. Also they will develop and maintain a well publicized and reachable online means to support reporting and getting input into their work. They should explore the use of Usenet newsgroups, mailing lists and web site utilization, and where appropriate RFC’s, and other online forms.”

The researchers would be obligated to create methods for doing their research while being observed by interested users. They would also seek to involve these users in their work. This would be an objective for their prototype development.

In the open source movement, there is a principle that the more eyes observing what is being done, the better the chance of finding the problems and errors. Similarly, in 1825, James Mill, the father of the well known philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill, wrote an article about how to prevent corruption in government. The article was titled “Liberty of the Press”. (refer to: “The Computer as a Democratizer”) He wrote about the challenge for government to work for the benefit of the people as opposed to working for the self interest of those in government. Critical to the problem was whether or not there were many eyes watching what the officials in government were doing. “There can be no adequate check without freedom of the press,” he wrote. Considering similar problems, Thomas Paine wrote that people must be able to freely exchange ideas and knowledge in order to be able to determine what is good government. How do these political theorists’ ideas contribute to the problem of creating an appropriate management structure for the Internet’s infrastructure?

The Internet provides the means for people to freely discuss and oversee the management structures that are needed to support the Internet’s continued development. The Internet was able to grow and flourish because it provided the means for communication and hence collaboration among a growing number of people. The creation of the needed management structure for the continued development of the Internet requires ever more communication and collaboration. The “Public Treasure” proposal proposes the creation of a prototype to develop this needed structure.