Daniel Sepulveda

[Commentary] Answering questions at the Internet Association’s Virtuous Circle conference recently, Secretary John Kerry presented the US Department of State’s effort to prioritize global digital economy issues abroad in order to reflect the growing importance of these issues in both economic and foreign policy. The State Department has made real progress on this initiative in the last year and hopes to continue our momentum going forward. Approximately six months ago, we announced the State Department’s new Digital Economy Officers (DEO) Program with the goal of strengthening the capacity of our people, embassies, and consulates overseas to address the challenges and seize the opportunities that are emerging with the development of the global digital economy. We believe that this new global platform will help enhance the prosperity not only of US people and firms, but that of other nations and their people, helping achieve more broadly shared prosperity and sparking innovative solutions to both commercial and social challenges that the world faces. Given that the Internet and the digital economy are global in scope and affect a range of US interests, the State Department is uniquely equipped among US agencies, to engage, lead, and advocate on these issues.

[Daniel Sepulveda is the US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy in the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.]

As one of Brazil’s leading Internet scholars and chair of Netmundial Virgilio Almeida brought NETmundial to a close, the US government delegation rose in applause. And almost everyone else in the room rose with us.

We affirm the Multistakeholder Statement of São Paulo, the ideas it presents, the ideals it embraces, and the multistakeholder process that made it possible. We rose out of appreciation for the Brazilians and the Internet community leaders that brought us together and impressively managed a challenging conversation. And we rose in joint commitment to preserving, promoting, and expanding the benefits of a single, interoperable, open, and global Internet for all of the world’s people.

NETmundial clearly demonstrates the suitability of the multistakeholder approach over intergovernmental discussion to address Internet governance issues. We will carry this experience forward as we approach upcoming multilateral events like the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Korea in October, where we will work to ensure that the ITU remains relevant and responsive to the evolution of technology in its traditional areas of competence, and leaves issues such as Internet governance to the fully capable global multistakeholder community.

[Michael Daniel serves as Special Assistant to the President and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator. Lawrence Strickling serves as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda serves as US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the US Department of State. Christopher Painter serves as Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the US Department of State. Scott Busby serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]

[Commentary] We head to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to attend NETmundial, a global meeting of governments, entrepreneurs, academics, Internet institutions, activists and users to discuss the future of Internet governance.

Over two days delegates will discuss and work toward developing a set of principles to guide international Internet governance activities in the future.

The United States will work with other delegations to expand the community of individuals, organizations, firms, and governments who are willing to put their faith in the proven multi-stakeholder system of cooperation and coordination; this system has enabled the unprecedented growth of the global Internet, which in turn has fueled economic development and innovation.

Along with most of the world’s Internet advocates and users, we believe that no one stakeholder or group of stakeholders, including governments, should have control over the operation or protocols of the Internet or the creativity, innovation, and freedom of expression that it enables. We are optimistic that NETmundial will make an important contribution to the positive evolution of the Internet and its governance and we support efforts at NETmundial and beyond to preserve an, open, inclusive, resilient, interoperable, and innovative global Internet.

[Daniel serves as Special Assistant to the President and White House Cybersecurity Coordinator; Strckling serves as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Ambassador Sepulveda serves as US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the US Department of State; Painter serves as Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the US Department of State; Busby serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]