China, Russia and the United Arab Emirates on Monday withdrew a proposal that would have allowed individual nations more government control over Internet content, according to the International Telecommunications Union.

The proposal, offered as a United Nations treaty at a Dubai global conference, would have decentralized power over Web addresses and domains, granting such sovereignty to individual governments. Web addresses are currently controlled by two non-governmental organizations: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.

A delegation of US representatives, including delegates from Google and Microsoft, had attempted to block discussions of increased Internet regulations, but met resistance from nations such as Russia who seek greater control over the Internet.

“What’s happened in the conference is a variety of proposals have come in from other nations that get into the Internet, that look at Internet governance,” said the head of the 123-member U.S. delegation, Ambassador Terry Kramer, in a video uploaded by organizers late Sunday. “It creates an open door for review of content and potential censorship there. It will create a chilling environment for the Internet.“

Member nations of the UN International Telecommunications Union are currently in their final days of discussions to update a telecommunications treaty that could, indeed, include new international Internet regulations. But the UAE proposal—introduced Dec. 7—caught many by surprise.

“Anything that gets into the content of the Internet we do not feel should be in this treaty,” Kramer said.

Instead, the United States and Canada are pushing for a resolution that would focus the UN conference on “registered operating agencies,” better known as telecom companies such as AT&T. Kramer hopes to target the conference’s focus on advancing broadband access globally. Any resolution dealing with Internet content, he said, would open doors to censorship.

The withdrawal of the UAE proposal was a large step in Kramer’s—and the US delegation’s—favor.

“While this is a welcome development, these issues will continue to be on the table for discussion in other forms during the remainder of the conference,” Kramer said. The U.S. delegation will continue to make the case that the ITU’s powers should not be increased during the summit and the members should “resist the proposals to extend that scope into Internet governance or content.”

[Image via Shutterstock]