Ensuring an Open Internet

Central to the Internet’s value as a platform for innovation, democracy, access to information and scientific progress are the technical standards on which it is built and the open manner in which it is governed. Yet, there are governments that seek to alter the fundamental way the Internet functions.

Several governments recently called for new treaty provisions to assert centralized control over the Internet’s operations instead of relying on the voluntary, consensus-based processes that gave us the Internet we enjoy today. Internet institutions such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the World Wide Web Consortium have been essential to the Internet’s growth. These organizations operate on a multi-stakeholder basis, assuring that all who have an interest in the Internet can have a voice in its operation. They reflect the collaborative and enterprising spirit of the Internet, which President Obama referred to in the International Strategy for Cyberspace as “one of the finest examples of a community self-organizing." Their transparency and flexibility have enabled the Internet to scale up from a small academic network to a growing global infrastructure.

The United States is actively engaged with our global partners in a variety of international settings and remains committed to working with all Internet stakeholders to defend and strengthen the open, interoperable, and innovative Internet.