World · Europe · 8 hrs ago
ITU meeting puts internet governance roles under scrutiny
The International Telecommunications Union begins its four-yearly meeting on Monday, with 278 proposals on the table.
The UN agency’s members are nation-states, and its work includes managing radio spectrum and satellite orbits and setting technical standards.
Other groups, including the IETF and ICANN, help manage the internet’s technical systems through processes where governments are only one voice.
The UN endorsed this multi-stakeholder approach in 2025, but the Internet Governance Forum has yet to begin operating as a permanent body.
Some internet organizations fear ITU proposals could expand governments’ influence over areas such as internet protocols, domain names and online resources.
The debate matters because overlapping roles or parallel processes could affect how the internet is governed and developed.
Most proposals are decided by consensus, but members can amend proposals during the meeting.
The International Telecommunications Union’s quadrennial plenipotentiary meeting is expected to test the balance between the ITU and organizations that help govern the internet.
Internet Society and ICANN are watching proposals that could expand the ITU’s role into areas handled by internet governance bodies.
The meeting has 278 proposals, and members can amend proposals during the meetings.
The United Nations endorsed multi-stakeholder internet governance at the 2025 WSIS+20 event and decided that its Internet Governance Forum should become a permanent body.
The ITU manages radio spectrum, satellite orbits and international technical standards, while organizations including the IETF, ICANN and regional internet registries oversee other internet functions.
- Who
- The International Telecommunications Union and its member nation-states, alongside internet governance organizations including the Internet Society and ICANN.
- What
- The ITU’s quadrennial plenipotentiary meeting is prompting scrutiny of whether proposals could expand its role in internet governance.
- When
- The meeting was set to begin on Monday. The article was published on 2026-11-08.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Some internet governance organizations are concerned that proposals could overlap with their work, affect the internet’s technical architecture or create parallel processes.
Internet Society and ICANN
Proponents of expanding the ITU's role
Mandates
Internet Society and ICANN
The organizations warn that proposals expanding the ITU’s role could overlap with existing mandates.
Proponents of expanding the ITU's role
Proposals to expand the ITU’s role could give it work in areas handled by internet governance organizations.
Internet governance
Internet Society and ICANN
The Internet Society supports protecting the internet’s underlying technical architecture and avoiding fragmentation.
Proponents of expanding the ITU's role
Some proposals could bring areas of internet governance under ITU mandates.
Russia and China backed an ITU presidency candidate who favored a stronger role for nations in internet governance, but the candidate was not elected.
At WSIS+20, the United Nations endorsed multi-stakeholder governance and decided that its Internet Governance Forum should become a permanent body.
The ITU’s quadrennial plenipotentiary meeting was due to begin.
- Proposals
- 278 on the table at the ITU meeting
- ITU membership
- Nation-states
- Standards bodies
- IETF, ICANN, regional internet registries and W3C
- 2025 WSIS+20 decision
- The Internet Governance Forum should become a permanent body
- Prior proposal
- China sought ITU work on “New IP,” a major revision to internet protocol managed by the IETF
What people are saying
actively challenging proposals that could affect the Internet's underlying technical architecture or increase fragmentation, as well as those that could affect connectivity, particularly for remote, underserved, and unserved communities.
ICANN welcomes the recognition of the consensus-based WSIS+20 outcomes
At the same time, proposals that seek to expand the ITU's role in areas such as IP-based networks, the Domain Name System, management of Internet resources, and Internet-related public policy issues raise concerns about overlapping mandates and the creation of parallel processes that could affect the health of the Internet.