I had the privilege (just once) to hear both Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn speak together on a panel in McLean, VA on an anniversary of the creation of the Internet. Whenever I see either of them appear in an article, I take the time to read it.
The New York Times has a nice article titled, "Viewing Where the Internet Goes" by John Markoff.
Below is an opening snippet that gives you a flavor of the article:
"Dr. Cerf, 70, and Dr. Kahn, 75, have taken slightly different positions
on the matter. Dr. Cerf, who was chairman of Icann from 2000-7, has
become known as an informal “Internet ambassador” and a strong proponent
of an Internet that remains independent of state control. He has been
one of the major supporters of the idea of “network neutrality” — the
principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all
content and applications, regardless of the source.
Dr. Kahn has made a determined effort to stay out of the network
neutrality debate. Nevertheless, he has been more willing to work with
the I.T.U., particularly in attempting to build support for a system,
known as Digital Object Architecture, for tracking and authenticating
all content distributed through the Internet.
Both men agreed to sit down, in separate interviews, to talk about their
views on the Internet’s future. The interviews were edited and
condensed."
