Investigating the future of Internet regulation

The Internet, which began as a communication network controlled by the US Government, is a free and open international information superhighway. The number of Internet users and the variety of information found on the network have grown dramatically in the last decade. This rapid growth also occurred with minimal control of content or acceptable uses of the Internet. This study was designed to investigate the future of Internet regulation. Surveys were sent out to 510 Internet providers in 40 countries. Respondents indicated that some regulation may be necessary, but the cultural diversity in the world will make it difficult to implement.