On October 26 2016 the Internet Governance Project at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Public Policy presented The Self Governing Internet – Celebrating the IANA transition and ICANN reforms in Atlanta. Special honoree will Assistant Secretary Lawrence Strickling, receiving recognition for his persistent and principled commitment to putting “the global multistakeholder community” in charge of IANA and ICANN. The event also featured remarks on the long term implications of the transition by a panel of experts, including Internet Architecture Board Chair Andrew Sullivan, Georgia Tech professors Milton Mueller and Peter Swire, the Internet Society’s Senior Policy Advisor Konstantinos Komaitis, and Verisign’s Vice President for public policy and government Keith Drazek. An edited version of the event will be webcast at 7pm today on the Internet Society Livestream Channel. Twitter: @igpalert https://twitter.com/IGPAlert.

Watch on livestream: https://livestream.com/internetsociety/igpalert

#andrew-sullivan, #iana, #icann, #konstantinos-komaitis, #larry-strickling, #milton-mueller

The Internet Society’s New York Chapter (ISOC-NY) has joined a coalition of groups supporting the completion of the IANA Transition. This, along with similar letters from ISOC’s Kathy Brown, another coalition, and more, amount to practically unanimous approval of the transfer plan from the Internet community. This outpouring is the result of some possible bumps in the road.

Some background:
After 18 years of steady progress since the formation of ICANN, and two years of intense negotiation within the multistakeholder community to come up with a plan, on Aug 12 2016 the NTIA declared that it intends to let the IANA Functions Contract expire on Sep 30 2016, “barring any significant impediment”. However, a significant impediment may indeed possibly arise in the form of congressional opposition. On the Senate side this is led by former presidential candidate Ted Cruz who, speaking on Sep 8 2016, vociferously spoke against it.
(transcript)
Cruz made several spurious claims – pretty much the opposite of reality – about the implications of the transfer, for instance, about the power of governments to control global content via ICANN, or that ICANN would leave U.S. jurisdiction. This prompted ICANN to issue a refuting FAQ.

Also on September 8, a bill opposing the transfer was introduced in the House, and several other prominent pols sent a letter to the DoC & DoJ raising anti-trust, jurisdiction, and accountability concerns. Cruz’s solution was to call for “continuing and strengthening” financial constraints imposed on the NTIA in 2015 via a continuing resolution, in effect de-funding the transfer in the imminent Appropriations Bill. If such were to happen, the only way the transition would go through would be via an Obama veto, and a resulting government shutdown. Something that did happen in the battle over Obamacare in 2013, but not seen as a likely prospect in 2016, despite it precipitating a Republican pratfall last time round.

However, transcendentally, whether such financial constraints do even in fact prevent the transfer taking place appear negated by a GAO report issued on Monday! The NTIA’s Larry Strickling immediately responded “We thank the GAO for its thorough analysis of the property implications of the IANA transition. We are pleased that GAO concluded that the transition does not involve a transfer of U.S. government property requiring Congressional approval.”

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing – chaired by Cruz – Protecting Internet Freedom: Implications of Ending U.S. Oversight of the Internet at 10am EDT Wednesday September 14 2016. There should be a webcast available on that link, and also audio via CapitolHearings.org.

**  Video of the hearing is downloadable at https://isoc-ny.org/misc/2016-09-14_senate_iana.mp4 **

#house, #iana, #icann, #senate

On Friday December 4 2015 the Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY) held an informal discussion IANA, ICANN, – what it is, why you should care, and what you can do at Civic Hall in NYC. Special guest and presenter was Olivier Crépin-Leblond, former Chair of ICANN’s At-Large Advisory Committee. He gave an update on the current IANA transition and the associated ICANN accountability process, and then talked about why and how Internet users can protect their interests and the common good.

View on Livestream: https://livestream.com/internetsociety3/ianaicann/videos/106218034
Twitter: #IANA + #ICANN – https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IANA%20%20%23ICANN

#at-large, #civic-hall, #olivier-crepin-leblond

#iana, #isoc, #sally-wentworth

On Wednesday July 8 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing Internet Governance Progress After ICANN 53 in Washington DC. Topics under discussion was the proposed transfer of the IANA stewardship from the United States to the global Internet community, plus the expansion of generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). Witnesses were Larry Strickling  of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and Fadi Chehadé
of ICANN. Video is below

View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fD_lNKXTg2k?t=22m39s
Transcribe on AMARA: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/Sd5FGVM7yfFg/
Background memo: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20150708/103711/HHRG-114-IF16-20150708-SD002.pdf
Twitter: #SubCommTech | #ICANN53

#fadi-chehade, #house, #iana, #larry-strickling, #new-gtlds

The Cross Community Working Group (CWG) tasked with developing to produce a consolidated transition proposal for the elements of the IANA Functions relating to the Domain Name System (DNS)  has now published its draft transition proposal for public comment. While emphasizing that the proposal is “interrelated and interdependent ” on results of the  Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (“CCWG-Accountability”), the group proposes the following elements for the transition:

• The current operational performance of the IANA Naming Functions is generally satisfactory to its direct customers, and the community generally believes that the current NTIA oversight arrangement has been successful in ensuring the accountability of the IANA Functions Operator in that role. As such, the objective of the CWG is largely to replicate the roles played by the NTIA in the execution and oversight of the IANA Naming Functions as faithfully as possible, while acknowledging that certain changes will be required to contractual terms and arrangements that are particular to contracts entered into with the U.S. government.
• The CWG does not believe that there is a reason to transition the IANA Naming Functions outside of ICANN concurrent with the IANA Stewardship Transition. Maintaining this part of the status quo implies that the new arrangements post-transition should provide the possibility of replacing ICANN as the IANA Functions Operator at a later date, including by means of a Request for Proposal (RFP) or other tender process.
• The proposed replacement solution should not seek to create another ICANN-like structure with associated costs and complexities.
• The proposal should not seek to replace the role of the ICANN multi-stakeholder community with respect to policy development for the Names Community, nor to affect existing TLD policies or how they are currently applied by the IANA Functions Operator.
• The existing separation between ICANN as a policy body and ICANN as the IANA Functions Operator needs to be reinforced and strengthened.

The group outlines a 4 part structure:

1. Contract Co. – This primary function of this entity (likely a non-profit corporation) is to be signatory to the contract with the IANA Functions Operator. This entity should be lightweight and have little or no staff.
2. Multistakeholder Review Team (MRT) – The MRT would be a multi-stakeholder body with formally selected representatives from all of the relevant communities (exact composition TBD). The operation of the MRT would be based on the concept of maximum public transparency. The responsibilities of the MRT will include:
   • Developing the detailed contract terms for the agreement between Contract Co. and the IANA Functions Operator, based on the key contract terms proposed as part of this proposal and set forth as Annex 3
   • Making key decisions for Contract Co. (e.g., whether or not to enter into a rebidding (RFP) process for the operation of the IANA Naming Functions)
   • Conducting the IANA Functions Operator Budget Review
   • Addressing any escalation issues raised by the Customer Standing Committee (CSC) including the possibility of engaging in enforcement
   • Performing certain elements of administration (including periodic performance reviews) currently set forth in the IANA Functions Contract and currently being carried out by the NTIA
   • Managing a re-contracting or rebidding (RFP) process for the operation of the IANA Functions, both as an enforcement option and as part of a regular rebidding procedure

   The CWG is in the process of discussing whether there is an additional enforcement role for the MRT related to policy implementation by the IANA Functions Operator; specifically, whether the MRT should be able to commence a proceeding before the Independent Appeals Panel.

3. Customer Standing Committee (CSC) – While the exact composition is still to be determined, the CSC would primarily be made up of a number of representatives of registry operators, including ccTLD and gTLD registries. Input from the CSC would feed into and inform the work of the MRT. It is possible that the CSC would also include additional individuals with relevant expertise and/or liaisons (or representatives) from otherSO/ACs. The CSC would:
   • Work with the MRT to establish Service Levels and Performance Indicators for the performance of the IANA Naming Functions
   • Receive reports from the IANA Functions Operator including regular performance reports.
   • Review these reports against established service levels and escalate any significant issues to the MRT
4. Independent Appeals Panel (IAP) – The CWG recommends that all IANA actions which affect the Root Zone or Root Zone WHOIS database be subject to an independent and binding appeals panel. The Appeals Mechanism should also cover any policy implementation actions that affect the execution of changes to the Root Zone File or Root Zone WHOIS and how relevant policies are applied. This need not be a permanent body, but rather could be handled the same way as commercial disputes are often resolved, through the use of a binding arbitration process using an independent arbitration organization (e.g., ICDR, ICC, AAA) or a standing list of qualified people under rules promulgated by such an organization.

The CWG requests public comments on on some specific aspects of  future root management process, including NTIA involvement, as well as an “alternative” proposal for ICANN itself to take over the IANA functions. Deadline for comments is December 22 2014

#dns, #iana, #icann, #ntia

On Thursday October 16 2014 the Internet Society’s New York Chapter (ISOC-NY), Connecting .nyc, and the Brooklyn Law Incubator & Policy Clinic (BLIP) will host a Remote Hub for the 51st Meeting of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers aka ICANN 51, taking place in Los Angeles. The hub will be fully interactive, with 2-way video, and participate in 3 sessions. Plentiful refreshments will be supplied, courtesy of ICANN. Please register via ISOC-NY’s meetup, or by emailing admin@isoc-ny.org.

What: NYC Remote Hub for ICANN 51
Where: Blip Clinic Dumbo Outpost, 55 Washington St #321, Brooklyn, NY 11201 (map)
When: Thursday October 16 2014 11am-8pm EDT
1. Enhancing ICANN Accountability 11:30am-12:45pm EDT
2. Community Discussion with the IANA Stewardship Coordination Group (ICG) 1pm-3pm EDT
3. Public Forum 4:30pm-8pm EDT
Register: http://www.meetup.com/isoc-ny/events/212661472/
Twitter: #icann51 | #remotehub

#blip, #connecting-nyc, #iana, #icann, #isoc-ny

As a followup the NetMundial meeting in Brazil in April 2014 the World Economic Forum has initiated the NETmundial Initiative
for Internet Governance Cooperation & Development. Today Thursday 28 August 2014 they are holding the Initial Scoping Meeting in Geneva with leaders from government, business, civil society and academia. Participants include Kathryn Brown of the Internet Society, Fadi Chehadé of ICANN, Tim Berners Lee of WWWF, Hamadoun Touré of the ITU, and Lawrence Strickling of the NTIA. It is being webcast live the WEF Livestream Channel.

What: NETmundial Initiative Initial Scoping Meeting
Where: Geneva Switzerland
When: Thursday 28 August 2014 0900-1800 CEST | 0700-1600 UTC
Agenda: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_3NETmundialInitiativeLaunchAgenda.pdf
Webcast: http://new.livestream.com/wef/events/3320009
Twitter: #netmundial

#fadi-chehade, #governance, #hamadoun-toure, #iana, #kathryn-brown, #larry-strickling, #netmundial, #tim-berners-lee, #wef

ICANN’s Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) has issued a report “Overview and History of the IANA Functions“. The report describes the activities included in the IANA Functions contract as well as the functions performed under the IETF MoU in order to establish a baseline of understanding for those interested in how the upper-most level of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers is managed. It focuses primarily on the IANA Functions contract, but is intended to describe all of the activities related to the IANA Functions as they are currently performed, including those that lie outside of the IANA Functions contract.

Report: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/sac-067-en.pdf
Infographic: http://www.slideshare.net/icannpresentations/the-iana-functions
Twitter: #‎IANASteward‬

#iana, #icann, #ssac

Today Wednesday 30 April 2014, from 9:30am-2pm EDT, the Washington DC Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-DC) and the Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University will present Scenarios for the Future of Internet Governance – a dual-panel conference on the proposed IANA transition. Speakers include Fiona Alexander of the NTIA, Milton Mueller of the NCUC, Richard Jimmerson of ARIN, and ISOC’s own Raquel Gatto from Brazil. The event will be webcast live via the Internet Society livestream channel.

What: Scenarios for the Future of Internet Governance
Where: GWU, Washington DC
When: Wednesday 30 April 2014, 9:30am-2pm EDT | 1330-1800 UTC
Agenda: http://www.isoc-dc.org/2014/04/isoc-dc-event-scenarios-for-the-future-of-internet-governance/
Webcast: https://new.livestream.com/internetsociety/internetscenarios
Twitter: @isocdc | @iiepgw | #iana

#arin, #governance, #iana, #isoc-dc, #milton-mueller, #raquel-gatto, #richard-jimmerson

Today April 23 2014 and tomorrow April 24 2014 the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance aka NETmundial is taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The meeting will focus on crafting Internet governance principles and proposing a roadmap for the further evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem. Draft outcome documents are posted at http://document.netmundial.br/ A live webcast is available below. A multilingual version is also available.

Wednesday Morning session:

View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KemK8YbHrI

Wednesday Afternoon session:

View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUxDb5RY3Cg

Thursday Morning session:

View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN1Kt5umwwQ

Thursday Afternoon session:

View on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2DAvj5M60k

Twitter: #netmundial2014

#governance, #iana, #icann, #igf, #netmundial

On Wednesday April 2 2014, at 10.30am EDT, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing Ensuring the Security, Stability, Resilience, and Freedom of the Global Internet in Washington DC. The topic under discussion was the proposed transfer of the IANA stewardship from the United States to the global Internet community. Witnesses were Larry Strickling of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Fadi Chehade of ICANN, former Ambassador David Gross, Steve DelBianco of NetChoice, and Carolina Rossini of the OTI. Video is below

View on YouTube: http://youtu.be/ZXpnMCowcU0
Transcribe on AMARA: http://www.amara.org/en/videos/ydGKvDI5CgLR/
Background memo: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20140402/102044/HHRG-113-IF16-20140402-SD002-U1.pdf
Twitter: #SubCommTech | #IANA

Topics:

• How will NTIA collect and assess proposals? Has a process been determined? Is there a timeline in place for a decision?
• Does transition of the IANA functions out of NTIA have implications for national security?
• How will NTIA ensure that any transition is smooth and does not affect the daily functioning of the Internet?
• What will be the result if NTIA does not receive a proposal that satisfies the criteria it set forth? Does NTIA plan to exercise the automatic option for renewal on the IANA contract if a satisfactory proposal is not received?
• What sort of multi-stakeholder community would be the ideal replacement for NTIA’s role in the IANA functions?
• What safeguards will be in place to prevent a future change that would allow for governments to seize control?
• What oversight role should Congress play to ensure a successful outcome.
• What will be the practical impact of this transition on Internet users and businesses that utilize the Internet for commerce?
• What will be the practical impact of this transition on Internet users and businesses that utilize the Internet for commerce?

#ec, #fadi-chehadi, #house, #iana, #larry-strickling, #ntia, #oti

On Friday April 4 2014 at 11am EDT the Hudson Institute will host a discussion The Future of Internet Governance in Washington DC. The topic will be the IANA transition. Speakers include Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling, ICANN CEO Fadi Chehadé, former FCC Commissioner Robert M. McDowell, and Ambassador Daniel A. Sepulveda, who is the U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy. The event will be webcast live.

What: The Future of Internet Governance
Where: Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.
When: Friday April 4 2014 at 11am-12.30pm EDT | 1500-1630 UTC
Webcast: http://www.hudson.org/
Twitter: #iana | @HudsonInstitute

#fadi-chehade, #hudson-institute, #iana, #icann, #larry-strickling

Today (Sunday night in NYC) Monday March 23 2014 there will be two sessions at ICANN 49 in Singapore that address the topic of the  proposed transfer of stewardship of the IANA functions to the global Internet community. The first, at 10:30pm EDT, will officially launch ICANN’s multistakeholder consultation on the matter, and the second, at 5:30am EDT will discuss  ICANN’s accountability to the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) – the current arrangement. Translated audio will be available live. According to ICANN “Transcript to be provided”

What: IANA Accountability Transition
When: Monday March 23 2014 1030-1230 SGT | 0230-0430 UTC | 2230-0030 EDT
Adobe Connect: http://icann.adobeconnect.com/sin49-padang
Audio: http://stream.icann.org:8000/sin49-padang-en.m3u

What: ICANN Accountability
When: Monday March 23 2014 1730-1900 SGT | 0930-1100 UTC | 0530-0700 EDT
Adobe Connect: http://icann.adobeconnect.com/sin49-padang
Audio: http://stream.icann.org:8000/sin49-padang-en.m3u
Twitter: #icannaoc

#iana, #icann, #ntia

Here, extracted from the live webcast, are United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce Larry Strickling’s keynote remarks at the NonCommercial Users Constituency (NCUC) Conference in Singapore on Friday March 21 2014, addressing the proposed transfer of stewardship of the IANA functions to the global Internet community.

• View on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-OSzgOT3jA&feature=share&t=9h5m42s

#iana, #icann, #larry-strickling, #ncuc

On Friday March 14 2014 the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it had invited ICANN to make a multistakeholder-derived proposal to take over responsibility for the “IANA functions“, i.e. management of the Internet’s root zone, when the current contract ends in 2015. In response Internet technical organizations, including the Internet Society, issued the following statement:

Internet Technical Leaders Welcome IANA Globalization Progress

The leaders of the Internet technical organizations responsible for coordination of the Internet infrastructure (IETF, IAB, RIRs, ccTLD ROs, ICANN, ISOC, and W3C), welcome the US Government’s announcement of the suggested changes related to the IANA functions contract.

The roles on policy development processes of the Internet technical organizations and ICANN’s role as administrator of the IANA functions, remain unchanged

The transition of the US Government stewardship has been envisaged since the early days of IANA functions contract. This transition is now feasible due to the maturity of the Internet technical organizations involved in performing their respective roles related to the IANA functions, and ICANN will facilitate a global, multi-stakeholder process to plan for the transition.

The strength and stability of the IANA functions within the above organizations (which make up the Internet technical community) are critical to the operation of the Internet. The processes around the IANA functions have always been carefully specified in the communities that our organizations represent. The IANA functions are faithfully administered by ICANN. We are committed to continuing our proven, community-driven processes as we engage in this transition. Our communities are already considering proposals to progress the transition.

Our organizations are committed to open and transparent multi-stakeholder processes. We are also committed to further strengthening our processes and agreements related to the IANA functions, and to building on the existing organizations and their roles. The Internet technical community is strong enough to continue its role, while assuming the stewardship function as it transitions from the US Government.

Participating Leaders

• Adiel A. Akplogan, CEO African Network Information Center (AFRINIC)
• Barrack Otieno, Manager, The African Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD)
• Paul Wilson, Director General Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)
• Don Hollander, General Manager Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD)
• John Curran, CEO American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
• Peter Van Roste, General Manager, Council for European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR)
• Russ Housley, Chair Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
• Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
• Jari Arkko, Chair Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
• Kathy Brown, President and CEO Internet Society (ISOC)
• Raúl Echeberría, CEO Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC)
• Carolina Aguerre, General Manager, Latin American and Caribbean TLD Association (LACTLD)
• Axel Pawlik, Managing Director Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC)
• Jeff Jaffe, CEO World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Twitter: #IANA | @NTIAgov

#governance, #iana, #icann, #isoc, #ntia