ICANN signs new contract with US Department of Commerce

Posted on 2 Oct 2006 at 12:20

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which oversees the vital task of managing the name servers for the Internet signed a new agreement with the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) on Friday that is being hailed as a 'dramatic step forward' towards independence.

ICANN has secured an agreement that recognizes it as being responsible for the management of the Internet's system of unique identifiers on an ongoing basis. It means ICANN is more autonomous,' declared Dr Paul Twomey, the President and CEO of ICANN.
The US has come under increasing pressure to surrender control of ICANN and allow it more independence. Last year, the US fought off a bid by a number of countries to place ICANN under international control.
Under the new memorandum of understanding (MOU), ICANN is already claiming that many of the shackles that tie it with the Department of Commerce are being loosened. For example, ICANN will be able to set its own future course, with the body and its community deciding future directions.
Furthermore, ICANN is not required to report every six months under the MOU as it has been previously. It will now provide an annual report that will be targeted to the whole Internet community. Finally, ICANN will no longer have to submit regular reports to the DOC. According to the agreement, the DOC will simply meet with senior ICANN staff 'from time to time'.
The current deal lasts until September 2009 although the US administration is to make a decision on full independence for ICANN in 2008.
The full agreement can be read on the ICANN web site.

Author: Steve Malone