{"id":70092,"date":"2015-01-15T21:26:28","date_gmt":"2015-01-16T02:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rbachnet.wwwmi3-ss40.a2hosted.com\/index.php\/"},"modified":"2022-03-14T17:43:48","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T21:43:48","slug":"who-runs-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/who-runs-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Runs The Internet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhoWhile no one “owns” the Internet<\/strong> (for now, despite republican plans<\/a>) there are a handful of companies that control the Internet<\/strong>. Unless you are a techno-geek, these six organizations that control how the Internet works, most likely fly under your radar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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International Telecommunications Union<\/h3>\n

\"United<\/a>The first organization that is actively trying to take over the functions of the Internet is the United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU). <\/strong>The ITU\u00a0in my and many other opinions an outdated<\/a>, pointless throw-back to the days of the telegraph, with policies to match. I covered the last power grabs<\/strong> by the UN’s ITU here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Internet Architecture Board<\/h3>\n

Next is the Internet Architecture Board (AIB). The IAB is the overseer of the technical evolution of the Internet. The IAB supervises the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF<\/a>), which oversees the evolution of TCP\/IP<\/a>, and the Internet Research Task Force<\/strong> (IRTF<\/a>), which works on network technology.<\/p>\n

\"Internet<\/a>The IAB declared a major strategic move for the Internet. The Internet Architecture Board<\/strong> is calling for global encryption<\/strong> on the web (which I have covered<\/a> many<\/a> times <\/a>from my Bach Seat<\/a><\/em>) to become the norm across the Internet in a move to lock down the privacy and security of information exchange according to Dark Reading<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Internet Engineering Task Force<\/h3>\n

\"Internet<\/a><\/p>\n

The Internet Engineering Task Force<\/b> (IETF<\/b><\/a>) develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards<\/a>. <\/strong>It is most well known for the\u00a0standards that make up the Internet protocol suite<\/a> (TCP\/IP<\/strong>). It is an open standards organization<\/a>, with no formal membership or membership requirements. All participants and managers are volunteers, though their work is usually funded by their employers or sponsors. The IETF is also well-known for its RFCs<\/a><\/strong> or Request for Comment documents like RFC RFC 1918<\/a> and RFC 873<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Internet Society<\/h3>\n

\"Internet<\/a>Another organization that shapes the Intertubes is ISOC. The Internet Society<\/a> (which I am a member of) was formed in 1992 by Vint Cerf<\/a> and Bob Kahn<\/a>. ISOC was formed to provide a corporate structure to support the Internet standards development process.<\/p>\n

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers<\/h3>\n

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and <\/strong>Numbers<\/strong> (ICANN) is perhaps the most critical organization that helps run the Internet. ICANN coordinates the distribution of IP addresses and the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). IP addresses<\/strong> are the numbers that are assigned to every computer on the Net to uniquely identify each device. There are two types of IP addresses, IPv4 and IPv6<\/strong>. The web has run out of IPv4 addresses (which I covered here<\/a> and<\/a> here<\/a><\/em>) and is very slowly being replaced with IPv6 addresses. ICANN doles out these addresses.<\/p>\n

\"InternetICANN also manages the Domain Naming System<\/strong> (DNS<\/a>) on the web that converts IP addresses to names. DNS makes it possible to remember www.google.com, which is easy for humans to remember instead of remembering https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150507211330\/http:\/\/74.125.224.72\/, which is easy for computers to deal with, to get to Google.<\/p>\n

The U.S. government funds ICANN. They Feds have gotten heat from around the globe after Eric Snowden’s<\/a> revaluations<\/a> about global spying operations. The role of ICANN is changing.<\/p>\n

Internet Service Providers<\/h3>\n

\"onThe only group that makes money on the Internet but does not help run the Internet (yet<\/a>) are the Internet Service Providers (ISP). ISP’s control nearly everyone accesses it. The gatekeepers to the web are ATT<\/a> (T<\/a>), Comcast<\/a> (CMCSA)<\/a>, Charter<\/a> (CHTR<\/a>) and Time Warner Cable<\/a> (TWC<\/a>) are the biggest names of ISP’s. ISP’s “perform<\/a>” two key functions. First, they provide last-mile connections, that is the connection to your home or business to their offices, which we all over-pay for<\/a>. Next, they provide back-haul or backbone services that move your email across the town or across the globe. The ISP’s also make money on these ISP-ISP connections.<\/p>\n

Right now the FCC<\/a> is considering the future of the Internet during its Net Neutrality decisions<\/a>. If the ISP’s get their way, it is likely that homes and businesses will be required to pay the ISP’s more money to maintain the crappy service<\/a> we already get.<\/p>\n

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\"Six<\/a><\/p>\n

rb-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Let’s add this up big business telecom money + millionaire politicians = the 1% screwing the rest of us. Get involved, save the Internet, get in touch with your alleged representatives and tell them NO MORE.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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