Cecilia Kang writing at the Washington Post passes along a misconception by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) about the basic working of the Internet.
Here is how the story opens:
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As the spread of the H1N1 flu keeps more Americans away from work and school, a federal report warns that all those people logging on to the Web from home could overwhelm Internet networks.
The Government Accountability Office reported earlier this week that if the flu reaches a pandemic, a surge in telecommuting and children accessing video files and games at home could bog down local networks.
And if that were to happen, it is not clear whether the federal government is prepared to deal with the problem, the GAO said.
The Internet is designed from the ground up as a distributed network, with no true central authority. Even ICANN is in control not by fiat or coercion but by consent and cooperation.
The federal government has no role in running the Internet other than to keep the heck out of the way.
That includes so-called “net neutrality” as well.
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Tags: DHS, GAO, Government Accountability Office, ICANN, Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, Internet, internet governance, Washington Post
