Reston, VA and Geneva, Switzerland – 29th September 2006 – ISOC welcomes the agreement announced today between the United States Department of Commerce (USDoC) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The agreement ensures continued stability of the Internet by setting the foundation for an orderly transition of the Domain Name System (DNS) to the private sector. It also demonstrates clear support for ICANN and the role it plays in coordinating those activities related to the Internet’s system of unique identifiers.
The agreement moves beyond the milestone-driven “oversight” model to one in which ICANN has greater flexibility and the United States Government takes a more discrete role, echoing ISOC’s recommendations during the USDoC NTIA’s recent public hearing on the transition of the DNS.
“This is a constructive step in the direction of private sector management of the DNS,” said ISOC’s President and CEO Lynn St.Amour. “We believe this agreement contributes to the continued stability of the Internet while allowing for additional operational freedom for ICANN. The new agreement is also a positive indication that the US Government is truly supportive of moving the management of the DNS to a private sector model and we are very pleased to see this. And of course, we believe ICANN is ready for this next step.”
As its dramatic growth continues, the Internet will be faced by new and more complex challenges. The Internet Society is working to ensure that the Internet’s successful and unique self-regulation models continue to evolve in such a way that people everywhere can participate in its development as well as continue to benefit from open access to this “network of networks”. Today’s announcement supports this evolution by further legitimizing the processes that determine how the Internet works.
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Note to Editors
ISOC’s statement at the NTIA’s public hearing on the transition of the DNS (PDF: 29KB)
ISOC’s response to the NTIA’s Notice of Inquiry (PDF: 24KB)
About ISOC
The Internet Society is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in
1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops in a stable and open manner. For over 14 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time.
For further details
Peter Godwin
Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: [email protected]
4, rue des Falaises
1205 Geneva
Switzerland