The US, Canada and the UK have voiced their concerns with the UN’s international communications treaty by refusing to sign an agreement that would give all countries a right to access international telecommunications services as well as the capability to block spam.
Russia, China and Saudi Arabia were, however, among the nations supporting the terms of agreement. Critics have claimed the agreement would result in a restrictive, censored Internet.
US ambassador to the World Conference on International Telecommunications Terry Kramer said that it was with a "heavy heart and a sense of missed opportunity" that the US would not be a party to the agreement in its current form. "We candidly cannot support an ITU treaty that is inconsistent with the multi-stakeholder model," Kramer said.
Other nations including Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Kenya also objected to the treaty.
The event, participated by 193 countries, has been aimed at revising extensive communications treaty for the first time since 1988.
