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Internet Policy

As the Executive Branch agency responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy issues, NTIA is committed to the continued growth of the Internet. As the Internet evolves, new challenges emerge. Working with other stakeholders, NTIA is developing policies to preserve an open, interconnected global Internet that supports continued innovation and economic growth, investment, and the trust of its users. This multistakeholder model of Internet policymaking – convening government, the private sector, and civil society to address issues in a timely and flexible manner – has been responsible for the past success of the Internet and is critical to its future.

Among other efforts, NTIA plays a leading role in the Commerce Department's Internet Policy Task Force, which is conducting a comprehensive policy review related to online privacy, copyright protection, cybersecurity, and the global free flow of information with the goal of ensuring that the Internet remains open for innovation.

NTIA also actively leads and participates in interagency efforts to develop Internet policy. In addition, NTIA works with other governments and international organizations to discuss and reach consensus on relevant Internet policy issues.

Related content

Secure Internet Routing

May 10, 2023

By Bob Cannon, Senior Telecommunications Policy Analyst, NTIA

My name is Bob.  I am number six.

Do you believe me?

If I were wrong… would you know?

In the 1960s television show “The Prisoner,” retired secret agents are held captive in a place known only as “The Village” and assigned numbers to replace their identities.  Protagonist “Number Six” quickly learns that what one claims to be and what one is can be two different things.

Internet routing is a bit like life in The Village.  One network whispers to a second that it is number six.  The second network then tells two other networks that it can send traffic to number six.  And those two networks tell two more networks that they can reach the network that reaches number six.  And so on.  Networks make routing decisions based on these whispers, following the path back to the network that says it is number six.  Sometimes those whispers are right. Sometimes they are wrong. When they are wrong, Internet traffic can go astray.

Topics
Internet Policy
Cybersecurity

Competition in the Mobile App Ecosystem

February 01, 2023

Mobile apps have become an essential tool for participation in much of daily life. Given both the growing importance of mobile apps and the need to promote innovation in this space, President Biden called for a study of the ecosystem along with recommendations for improving competition, reducing barriers to entry and maximizing the benefits for consumers as part of a 2021 Executive Order on competition.

NTIA Launches Inquiry on how Data Practices Affect Civil Rights

January 18, 2023

WASHINGTON – The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announced a Request for Comment on how companies’ data practices may impose outsized harm on marginalized or underserved communities.

The ways in which firms collect, share, and use data can exacerbate existing structural inequities. As NTIA notes in its Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment:

Online job ads may be targeted based on real or perceived demographic characteristics such as age, sex, or race – reaching certain groups while ignoring others.

Topics
Internet Policy
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