[atlarge-discuss] It could happen anywhere

["Ron Sherwood" <sherwood@islands.vi>]

Dear fellow at-largers:

    Today's report on the political battle over .za is copied below.

    The claim that the majority of South Africans do not have access to the Internet, has nothing whatsoever to do with Domain Name management.  It is simply political deception used to persuade the ignorant to accept nationalization of that management.

    This could happen anywhere.  The first time that it does, the rot will have started.  The only way to keep the Internet from becoming another political franchise, subject to embargo and national exploitation is for it to be controlled by a strong, organized, global, user based entity that crosses all political and national boundaries.  This should be our wake-up call and should define our mandate.

Ron Sherwood

S. Africa plans to control Net name
Controversy stirs over who will control '.za'
June 7, 2002 Posted: 10:39 AM EDT (1439 GMT)


June 7, 2002 Posted: 10:39 AM EDT (1439 GMT)


CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) -- South Africa's parliament gave initial approval on Friday to a law designed to expand access to the Internet, but which critics say could force the network to shut down in the country. 

The Electronic Communication and Transactions Bill adopted by the National Assembly gives legal status to Internet communications, contracts and trades. 

But it also proposes to take over the administration of South African Internet domains, identified by the ".za" suffix in addresses, without seeking the approval of the international authority that administers the Internet roadmap. 

Nkenke Kekana, chairman of the parliamentary committee that approved the draft, told legislators the management of the Internet could not be left to individuals. 

"Change is imperative...We need a stable, representative and democratic model of domain naming and allocation in our region," he said. 

Opposition legislator Dene Smuts accused the government of nationalizing the administration of the .za suffix that identifies all South Africa Web sites and addresses, saying the government was obsessed with "empire building and control." 

Referring to warnings from Internet administrators that violation of international conventions on domain name management could see the South African section of the network shutdown, she told parliament: 

"This bill fails to avert the danger that we will lose South Africa's major connection to the Internet itself...This net grab simply nationalizes domain name administration," she said before voting against it. 

Domain names -- the ".com" and ".uk" type suffixes of addresses and Web sites -- are the foundation of Internet navigation. They have been subject to fierce competition with early users trying to claim addresses and domains that might become valuable. 

Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said the Bill would allow the drafting of regulations to ensure that more and more South Africans would be able to access the Internet. 

"For e-commerce to make an impact on sustainable economic growth, all South Africans should become active participants in electronic communication and transactions," she said. 

Equal access
Matsepe-Casaburri dismissed criticism of the proposed domain-name takeover, telling parliament: "The sometimes hysterical and irrational debate on the issue of the domain name...is indicative of mindsets that have not yet come to terms with the democratic government in existence today." 

The .za domain name is administered under a mandate from the international Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) by local Internet pioneer Mike Lawrie. 

Lawrie told Reuters earlier this week he was keen to be rid of the domain name administration he has handled without pay for a decade, but insisted it had to be done under ICANN rules. 

He said a law making his administration illegal would conflict with ICANN rules requiring him and the Internet community of South Africa to approve redelegation of the role. 

"If it becomes illegal for me to do the job under South African law and if I am not authorized by ICANN to hand over the administration, the .za domain will have to shut down until the issue is cleared up," he said in an interview. 

Lawrie oversees a series of computer files that are central to the South African Internet roadmap and would have to hand these to any future administrator. Without them, the South African network would have to be rebuilt from scratch. 

The bill proposes that Matsepe-Casaburri should appoint a panel to choose a board for a new non-profit company that will take over the so-called "namespace administration." 

It does not provide for approval by ICANN, acknowledged around the world as the global administrator of domain names. 

The independent Media Africa group estimates around 2.4 million of South Africa's 44 million people had access to the Internet by the end of 2000, leaving most of the black majority out of the network.