Who or what owns the internet?

[topslop1]

Okay, so the internet is a first come first serve deal as far as URL addresses go. But you have to register them through Godaddy.com or some other service. If the internet is a free information service then why are we paying for domain names? Shouldn't they just be a first come, first serve basis? Why is it that there is a charge on them?

And better yet... where does the money for them go? If godaddy.com and another site are charging, who are THEY paying for the URL to be registered (considering they're middle men, right?)

 

[JS80]

America owns the internet. America, fvck ya. We will never give up control of the internets to the UN.

 

[Alone]

Al Gore. How else do you explain his electricity bill?

 

[MiniDoom]

NSF

 

[FoBoT]

nothing is free

 

[So]

What kinda asinine question is this? Do you even know how DNS works? How do you think the TLD servers are run? Bubblegum, candy, and good intentions?

 

[amish]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
nothing is free

what about the air i breathe, the sky that i walk under, or the boogers that i pick?

 

[topslop1]

Originally posted by: So
What kinda asinine question is this? Do you even know how DNS works? How do you think the TLD servers are run? Bubblegum, candy, and good intentions?

If I did, would I be asking the question? And it still doesn't answer who or what specifically owns the Internet.


And what is NSF?

And America is not a person, so basically I own a piece of the internet is what you're trying to say.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: topslop1

Originally posted by: So
What kinda asinine question is this? Do you even know how DNS works? How do you think the TLD servers are run? Bubblegum, candy, and good intentions?

If I did, would I be asking the question? And it still doesn't answer who or what specifically owns the Internet.

a bunch of companies own the internet

and some people

http://blogs.cio.com/node/209

 

[spidey07]

IANA and IETF own the Internet.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Telco's own it.

 

[So]

Originally posted by: topslop1

Originally posted by: So
What kinda asinine question is this? Do you even know how DNS works? How do you think the TLD servers are run? Bubblegum, candy, and good intentions?

If I did, would I be asking the question? And it still doesn't answer who or what specifically owns the Internet.


And what is NSF?

And America is not a person, so basically I own a piece of the internet is what you're trying to say.

Nobody, it is a series of connections between switches, routers, hubs, and smaller subnets. Individuals or organizations own all the constituent parts and the DNS servers are the top that define the names are owned by the US government IIRC, might be ICANN though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name_system

Companies like godaddy pay for the right to add data (new Domains) to the DNS database.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: amish

Originally posted by: FoBoT
nothing is free

what about the air i breathe, the sky that i walk under, or the boogers that i pick?

taxes

 

[MiniDoom]

Originally posted by: topslop1

Originally posted by: So
What kinda asinine question is this? Do you even know how DNS works? How do you think the TLD servers are run? Bubblegum, candy, and good intentions?

If I did, would I be asking the question? And it still doesn't answer who or what specifically owns the Internet.


And what is NSF?

And America is not a person, so basically I own a piece of the internet is what you're trying to say.

National Science Foundation - they maintain the 13 top level domain servers. Like everyone else said. Telco's own most of the infrastructure.

 

[funkymatt]

You can't like OWN the internet, man.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Alone
Al Gore. How else do you explain his electricity bill?

:thumbsup:

 

[ahurtt]

The people / corporations that own the infrastructure own the internet. No one entity or individual. It's one big global co-op. It is a huge interconnected network of networks of networks. . .Where did you get the impression the internet was free? I pay a monthly bill for my internet access.

 

[topslop1]

Originally posted by: ahurtt
The people / corporations that own the infrastructure own the internet. No one entity or individual. It's one big global co-op. It is a huge interconnected network of networks of networks. . .Where did you get the impression the internet was free? I pay a monthly bill for my internet access.

You pay for access to it, I didn't say that that was free. But the content itself is free, no? (take out paysites etc) Free information database basically is what I'm saying.

 

[ahurtt]

Originally posted by: topslop1

Originally posted by: ahurtt
The people / corporations that own the infrastructure own the internet. No one entity or individual. It's one big global co-op. It is a huge interconnected network of networks of networks. . .Where did you get the impression the internet was free? I pay a monthly bill for my internet access.

You pay for access to it, I didn't say that that was free. But the content itself is free, no? (take out paysites etc) Free information database basically is what I'm saying.

Again, no the content is not free. Somebody is paying for hosting all the content on the internet. Whether or not they choose to make that content available to the general public at no additional charge is at their discretion. If the information is free to you then you are usually forced to pay for it by looking at advertisements from sponsors who pay the people who create the content to support the website. Nothing is free. Look at the web page you are reading right now. Scroll to the bottom. See that ad banner? Somebody paid to have that put there.

 

[Jeeebus]

Who owns the Internet?

We Do!!!

 

[James Bond]

Like was said above, the internet is really nothing more then many, many interconnected networks.

You get access to these networks by paying your local TELCO, or ISP.

Websites are hosted on servers around the world, which you also get access to. These website "domain names" can be registered through companies such as godaddy--and godaddy registers them in cooperation with ARIN, I think...

edit: or maybe it's IANA. I forget now.

 

[fLum0x]

Originally posted by: spidey07
IANA and IETF own the Internet.

true...but the people really own the internet. IETF and IANA couldn't shut it down at this point. something else would just overtake them.

 

[alien42]

i think the OP is looking for ICANN

also IANA was mentioned earlier but they no longer exist as a separate entity and they are a unit of ICANN