Building the Framework
Cooperative global decision-making process begins with a clear understanding of the goals and underlying principals, knowledge of the key players and their relationships, trust in the processes to be used and clear communication. To meet these needs Search Skate creates a Global Common Framework that includes the mission, goals and objectives of Internet Governance; an organizational chart identifying the key participants and their relationships; the creation, purpose and staffing of review work groups and committees at the local, regional and global levels; definitions of commonly used terms for clear communication; and documentation of related laws, treaties, policies, agreements, norms and standards that enable or limit Internet use and/or activities.
Of equal importance is providing transparency through careful documentation of the processes and procedures used in each step of the Internet governance process at the local, regional and global levels; documenting processes to be delegated to the local or regional levels; and identifying the metrics to be captured, evaluated and reported for each process; along with any documents created by or referenced in the processes.
For controlled access cybersecurity documents and processes may be grouped together and stored in separate portion of the Global Common Framework. Cybersecurity portion may include: adopted cybersecurity standards; methodologies; defined roles, responsibilities and recommended training/certifications; processes and procedures at the local, regional and global levels; process metrics to be captured, tracked and reported at each level; coordination within and across communities; credible cybersecurity issues and threats; alerts and alert responses; issues and solutions; best practices and lessons learned; definitions of commonly used terms; and related laws, agreements, guidelines and norms to align compliance activity with governance.
To balance or enhance existing activities or add processes to meet new goals, the IGF can add processes such as:
- Adding a new revenue stream (IGF Trust Fund) for independent funding of governance operations. The Search Skate system generates a new multi-billion-dollar revenue stream through a “franchise-like” agreement between Portal Businesses and the IGF where the Portal Businesses (whose sole profit is derived from use of a public asset) agree to adopt and work to entrench the Internet’s openness standards and other published policies and standards; and by paying a small annual participation fee that supports Internet governance operation costs; and to pay a small annual fee in exchange for participation. This is similar to trucking companies paying taxes to use public roads. The revenue generation could remain as Search Skate created it or be expanded.
- Transforming the Private Sector Stakeholder Group into multiple Stakeholder Groups so each global Industry Sector is represented (i.e. Energy, Materials, Industrials, Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Health Care, Financials, Information Technology, Communication Services, Utilities and Real Estate). This enables each Sector to represent its unique needs; streamlines data and tariff collection; and facilitates a closer working relationship between the global Sectors and the WTO.
- Adding a new separate but integrated Non-Commercial Function that focuses on cooperative solutions and adds a separate review track to help balance the drive for profit with public need. Stakeholder Groups would be expanded for better reflect the representation needed for both the advancement of mankind and to effectively respond to disasters (i.e. Academia, Agriculture/Food, Civil Society, Government, Housing, Individual Users, Infrastructure [power, water, technology], Public Health, Science & Technology Research, Science & Technology Standards, and Transportation.)
- Grouping countries into either the Northern or Southern regions highlights the greater need; encourages cross-border cooperation; facilitates coordinated short-and-long term planning; and strengthens negotiations to improve the balance of voices between emerging and more industrialized nations.
Below, Search Skate has provided its proposed bottom-up Framework structure beginning with the local level where content is linked to Search Skate’s locally owned and operated, interest-based Portal Businesses.
A full description of the process is provided on the page, “Delivering Governance.”
