American Net Leadership Is a Timely Foreign Policy Challenge

[Commentary] A very important gathering of nations is taking place in Busan, South Korea -- but largely away from public view, unfortunately. Busan is the site of the Plenipotentiary Conference, nicknamed the Plenipot, at which countries around the world will, among other things, establish the strategic plan of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations. One of the key policy questions that could be decided in Busan is whether the ITU will expand its legal authority to include Internet policy issues. Notably, the member governments most interested in asserting ITU control over the Internet are also interested in placing restrictions on the Internet within their own borders. Turning back the tide of government suppression of the Internet represents a formidable task.