If the Internet had been developed in Australia, I don't think we would have had so much heat on this discussion.

Australian ICANN chief Paul Twomey, regarding the tension surrounding the U.S. control of the Internet.

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Although the point of this silly comment is to point out how petty the US is on this specific issue, it is actually very profound in one critical sense. If the Internet was not developed here in the United States, who controls it would not be an issue because it would not exist.

I'm not saying that other countries don't have the necessary technological know-how. I know that many great contributions to the network came from abroad. All I'm saying is the prenatal development of this creature we call the Internet was possible only by joining savvy engineers with a serious influx of capital.

Who provided the funding? The Government (read as 'people') of the United States. Early adopters of any new technology always pay the highest price. It is great that the Net reaches to every corner of the globe. I'm glad that countries who made no contribution are able to reap the benefits of this amazing information conduit.

The Internet should remain under U.S. jurisdiction for two key reasons. First, we built it and shared it with the rest of the world. The US Government and private companies have invested too much in this project to simply give up control. Second, one of the key foundations of this nation is that speech must remain free. The Internet is the great equalizer; it provides an amazing avenue of free speech. Imagine if China were in charge instead of the U.S. - the Internet would be a different place indeed.

Finally, does anyone actually believe that the UN is capable of effectively managing the Internet? Sure, they do possess an incredible amount of burecratic mass...but competence, decisiveness and honesty are also important ingredients in a controlling body.