<nettime> Reclaiming the Net: Talk v. Action

[eon@infowar.net]

In light of recent events involving the "Privatization" of the Doman Name
System, the formation of ICANN, and US Government intervention into
controlling the "orderly process of privatization" of the Internet on its
own terms (DOC, DOJ, NSA, etc.) some individuals have called on the SBA
(Small Business Administration)  to hold a conference on DNS alternatives
by independent operators and small businesses. 

In that dialog, the following discussion has emerged.  It has been
summarized for Nettime below. 

The Power of the network lies at the EDGES.  US Government and
Corporations seek to reign that power back in to the CENTER.

The DNS INDEPENDENCE movement, spearheaded by projects such as Name.Space
and others including ORSC and IPV8, IPV16 seek to "route around"  the
central control, and move the powers back into the hands of the USERS at
the EDGES and ACROSS the net, and not to be bound and regulated by the
monied interests who wish to concentrate the power at the CENTER. 

Whether we resign ourselves to idle talk, criticism, complaints,
complicity, inaction, or choose to make positive, proactive steps to
RECLAIM THE NET, the choices we make today and in the coming months will
certainly affect the shift of power over media. 

RTN


-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Lowenhaupt <toml@communisphere.com>
<snip>
>
>I know that IPv4, 6, 8, and 16 are topics of daily discussion to most
>involved with the DNS discussion. But to the 8 million U.S. small
businesses
>(and the world's 6 billion people) who will be forced to live with these
DNS
>protocol decisions, all this IP4-6-8... is meaningless mumbo jumbo.
>


Tom,

It is quite simple if you use this analogy...

IP Address Space is similar to LAND
DNS Name Space is similar to BILLBOARDS

Those who are allocated land control the Internet.
The land owners and the people who delegate land
love to see people debating about billboards because
it shifts the focus from the real issues which are why
do some companies have land and some do not...
and more importantly, why are the taxes on the land
funding ICANN which keeps the billboard discussions
going ?

Imagine that the IPv4 Address Space is similar to
the land occupied by New York City. Imagine that
the DNS billboards are what line Times Square and
42nd St. Imagine that the average citizen or netizen
is standing in the street looking up at the signs and
is not focused on who owns the land under their feet.
All while they are gawking at the wonder of the net,
ICANN and ARIN are taxing the land "owners" and the
billboard owners by setting themselves up to be
psuedo-government agencies similar to the various
license bureaus that collect fees from the brick and
mortar world.

You have a choice, you can stand around gawking
at the sites in the highly controlled and heavily taxed
IPv4 Address Space or you can head West  and
develop new land (Address Space) with your own
billboards (Name Space) and be a true Internet pioneer...

...it is your choice...I have made my choice long ago...

Jim Fleming

If you are interested in seeing who "owns" ALL of the
LAND in the IPv4 Address Space, here is the list.

http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/ipv4-address-space


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Sondow <msondow@iciiu.org>

 I'll bet
>that the people we know of who have already done considerable work
>on the conference subject - Fleming, Stefferud, Gerck, Sexton,
>Auerbach, Semitch, etc. - would be happy to contribute information.
>


In my opinion, additional energy on these topics
would be best invested heading "West" away from
the ICANN and ARIN controlled IPv4 Address Space
and the highly restricted DNS Name Space that goes
with it.

If more people had done that years ago when we were
conned into believing that the DOC was going to solve
all of the problems in a few months, we would all be
better off and the world would be a much better place.

I do not believe that any SBA-lead activity will change
anything. Average netizens working together on hardware,
software and documentation can create a better world.
That is where I am focusing my energy.

Jim Fleming


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Sondow <msondow@iciiu.org>


>with, those that control the media and ther means of informing the
>public, how do you propose educating the citizens, so that they can
>make the choice to "route around" the problem?
>

The same way that people were educated to start
using the IPv4 Internet to "route around" the other
networks that have fallen by the wayside, victims of
some of the same problems that infect ICANN and ARIN.

...walk West...climb a mountain...sit there and watch
the ICANN and ARIN show...from a distance...and enjoy
the clear air and the freedom of the IPv8 and IPv16 Internet
Address Spaces...it is your choice...I have made my choice...

Good luck to everyone...

Jim Fleming


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Sondow <msondow@iciiu.org>
>
>The average citizen (your subject, Jim) hasn't this choice. He or
>she cannot uproot and head west. There is a society here that we all
>participate in, commercial and non-commercial Internet users alike.
>No one is going to abandon what they have at stake, which is often
>their livelihood, and begin over again on the margens of society. At
>least, that will not happen unless the present Internet dissociates
>or simply stops functioning, which isn't likely to occur. So what we
>need are viable alternatives for an evolution of the present
>Internet towards a freer situation that gives the users more choice,
>rather than the present congealing and implosion of old vested
>interests, not an abandonment of the Internet to IBM, AT&T, and
>AOL-TimeWarner.
>


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