The president of the internet's governing body yesterday made a recommendation almost unthinkable in dot.com circles: he wants to see more direct government involvement in the development of the world wide web.

Stuart Lynn, the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), has recommended a major restructuring, saying the goal of leaving the internet in private hands has proven unworkable.

Icann was set up in 1998 to provide independent management of the internet's development, taking over the job from the US government as the web became internationally crucial.

The body is in charge of coordinating the internet's addressing policies, including those for domain names such as .com and .gov.

Mr Lynn has recommended a new structure that would see governments nominating one-third of a 15-member board.

"I am now convinced that the original desire to avoid a totally governmental takeover ... led to an overreaction - the choice of a totally private model," he said.

He said the private model is unworkable "because it leaves Icann isolated from realworld institutions - governments - whose backing and support are essential."

Icann has faced questions about its legitimacy from the beginning.

Longtime internet users accuse Icann of being beholden to corporate interests, while administrators of domain names around the world have refused to recognise Icann's authority.

The proposal, which came during a weekend closed-door retreat, is likely to face significant opposition from public-interest groups, particularly for eliminating direct participation by internet users.

Under the new plan, the board would consist of 15 members: one-third nominated by governments, one-third through a committee process and the rest consisting of Icann's president and appointments by four policy and technical groups.

Michael Froomkin, a University of Miami law professor who runs an Icann watchdog site, called the proposal misguided and said it would reduce "to even greater impotence the people who ask troubling questions". Currently, five of the 19 board members are elected by the general internet community.

Icann's next public meetings are scheduled for March 10-14 in Accra, Ghana.