Topic: Itu

The hosts analyze leaked documents from the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12) in Dubai. They mock proposals from Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia that attempt to apply old telecommunications rules to the internet, such as "internet roaming" and emergency service notifications. They conclude that the regulators do not understand how the internet actually functions.

The hosts critique the ITU's proposed definition of "spam," which excludes information transmitted over broadcast networks. They argue that the definition is hypocritical, as it protects traditional corporate advertising while criminalizing similar bulk digital communication. John C. Dvorak suggests that all advertising is essentially a form of spam.

The World Conference on International Telecommunications in Dubai is the focus of a discussion on the future of the internet. The hosts argue that the "Internet Freedom" rhetoric from the White House and Google is a cover for a "sender pays" system that would destroy the current peering model. They suggest this would allow large corporations to consolidate control and eliminate independent competition.

Vint Cerf, representing Google, testified before a Senate subcommittee regarding United Nations proposals for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to regulate the internet. Chairman Greg Walden warned that international regulatory regimes could break the internet by applying old telephone service rules to modern data networks. Cerf's self-identification as a "father of the internet" in his written testimony is criticized as elitist and arrogant.