The multistakeholder document (http://bit.ly/1nLhMBC) produced at NETmundial...

The multistakeholder document (http://bit.ly/1nLhMBC) produced at NETmundial was a “critical achievement,” said Daniel Sepulveda, deputy assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, referencing last month’s Internet conference meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil (WID May 8 p1). Sepulveda spoke on an Internet governance panel at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Thursday. Internet governance stakeholders were “very pleasantly surprised” with the outcome of NETmundial, said Lynn St. Amour, CEO of Internet Matters, a nonprofit advocating for child safety online. The economic interests of developing countries trying to expand Internet access need to be considered, since many nations see the U.S. as able to “capture most of the gains” and retain a “competitive advantage” in Internet affairs, said Adam Segal, CFR senior fellow. Segal raised concerns about the effect certain countries, like Russia and China, will have on the upcoming Internet governance debates. If countries try to introduce measures to use the Internet as a means of political control, “we will oppose it, and it will not work,” said Sepulveda. The “jury’s still out,” said Segal. Sepulveda said he will lead the U.S. delegation at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 20 (http://bit.ly/1rrMHmS).