Media News - Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Industry demands Internet czar in German government

As the Internet gains importance in Germany, industry representatives in the country are calling for the creation of a new authority in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to coordinate cyberspace policy. German industry is growing increasingly frustrated with how the government is handling Internet policy and has begun lobbying for the creation of a new high-level government position to take control. At the opening of the CeBIT trade show in Hanover on Monday, Bitkom president August-Wilhelm Scheer suggested creating a new Internet Minister position, which would condense the cyberspace policymaking machinery of the various ministries into a single role. Scheer believes Internet policy has become too fragmented and dispersed across the government, and that the world's largest communications network is now too important – to both businesses and consumers – to leave important decisions about its use and governance to chance. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at least for now, isn't sold on the idea. (Deutsche Welle)

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