Milton Mueller Discusses Internet Governance in Washington, D.C.

Posted June 13, 2017

On June 6, Milton Mueller, professor in the School of Public Policy, participated in a panel discussion at the Washington, D.C., think tank, New America, on his new book, Will the Internet Fragment?: Sovereignty, Globalization, and Cyberspace.

The discussion focused on the current global structures and policies that govern the Internet and future needs to ensure continued innovation. 

Mueller’s book analyzes the threats to the global compatibility of the Internet. Mueller argues that the fragmentation debate is really a power struggle over the future of national sovereignty, pitting global governance and open access against traditional territorial institutions of government. This conflict, the book argues, can only be resolved through radical institutional innovations. In order to save the Internet, it is imperative to move away from national sovereignty and towards popular sovereignty in cyberspace Mueller adds.