The challenges of regulating the Web

Abstract

Although the debate about Internet governance has cooled off as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s ambitions have narrowed, there remains a broad variety of regulatory issues that will require an international approach. Apart from ICANN, a diverse set of institutions is already involved in setting standards, allocating resources, and resolving conflicts. This paper looks at how the operations of these institutions, together with the experiences of ICANN, could serve as a starting point for a more integrated and comprehensive approach to tackling the challenges the Internet will face in the years to come.