Privatization and Globalization of the Internet

Abstract

This chapter delves into the salient role of corporate actors in Internet policymaking during the decade of privatization and globalization of the Internet. Market dynamics drove the development of the field and the digital economy shifted attention to the potential of the network in the neoliberal understanding. From the mid-1990s to mid-2000, three major shifts occurred in Internet governance arrangements: they grew in size, scale, and scope. A number of rules for the technical management of the network were defined during this period and the bodies in charge consolidated their institutional structure. The emergence of political contestation also dates back to this period, when the positions of developing countries on key Internet governance issues started to consolidate.