[ga] DOC Notice of Inquiry, Notice of Public Meeting re: ICANN

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information
Administration

Docket No. 060519136-6136-01

 

The Continued Transition of the Technical Coordination
and Management of the Internet Domain Name and
Addressing System

 

AGENCY:  National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

 

ACTION:  Notice of Inquiry, Notice of Public Meeting

 

SUMMARY:  The United States Department of Commerce?s
National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) seeks comment on the
continuation of the transition of the technical
coordination and management of the Internet domain
name and addressing system (Internet DNS) to the
private sector.  In June 1998, the Department issued a
statement of policy on the privatization of the
Internet DNS, which among other things articulated
four primary functions for global Internet DNS
coordination and management, the need to have these
functions performed by the private sector and four
principles to guide the transition to private sector
management of the Internet DNS.  On June 30, 2005,
NTIA released the U.S. Principles on the Internet?s
Domain Name and Addressing System further elaborating
on these issues.  The Department of Commerce seeks
comment regarding the progress of this transition and
announces a public meeting to be held on July 26,
2006, to discuss issues associated with this
transition.

 

DATES: Comments are due on or before July 7, 2006. 
The public meeting will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. on July 26, 2006.

 

ADDRESSES:  Written comments may be submitted by U.S.
mail to Fiona Alexander, Office of International
Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room
4701, Washington, DC 20230.  Paper submissions should
include a three and one-half inch computer diskette in
HTML, ASCII, Word or WordPerfect format (please
specify version).  Diskettes should be labeled with
the name and organizational affiliation of the filer,
and the name of the word processing program used to
create the document.  Alternatively, comments may be
submitted electronically to
DNSTransition@xxxxxxxxxxxxx  Comments provided via
electronic mail should also be submitted in one of the
formats specified above.  All comments will be posted
to NTIA?s website at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/dnstransition.html.


The public meeting will be held at the U.S. Department
of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W.,
Auditorium, Washington, D.C.  (Entrance to the
Department of Commerce is on 14th Street between
Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, N.W.)

 

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  For questions about
this Notice or the Public Meeting, contact: Fiona
Alexander, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Room 4701, Washington, DC
20230; telephone: (202) 482-1866; or email:
falexander@xxxxxxxxxxxxx  Please direct media
inquiries to the Office of Public Affairs, NTIA, at
(202) 482-7002.

 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

 

Background:  A July 1, 1997, Executive Memorandum
directed the Secretary of Commerce to privatize the
Internet domain name and addressing system (Internet
DNS) in a manner that increases competition and
facilitates international participation in its
management.[1]  In order to fulfill this Presidential
directive, the Department of Commerce, in June 1998,
issued a statement of policy on the privatization of
the Internet DNS, known as the DNS White Paper.[2] 
This document articulated four primary functions for
global Internet DNS coordination and management: 

1.  To set policy for and direct the allocation of IP
number blocks; 

2.  To oversee the operation of the Internet root
server system; 

3.  To oversee policy for determining the
circumstances under which new top level domains (TLDs)
would be added to the root server system; and 

4.  To coordinate the assignment of other technical
protocol parameters as needed to maintain universal
connectivity on the Internet. 

 

In the DNS White Paper, the Department of Commerce
concluded that these functions were relevant to the
state of the Internet DNS and should be primarily
performed through private sector management.  To this
end, the Department of Commerce stated that it was
prepared to enter into agreement with a new
not-for-profit corporation formed by private sector
Internet stakeholders.  Private sector interests
formed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) for this purpose.[3]  In the fall of
1998, the Department of Commerce entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ICANN, a
California non-profit corporation, to transition
technical Internet DNS coordination and management
functions to the private sector.[4]  

 

The MOU contains a series of core tasks for ICANN,
which include establishing appropriate relationships
with the organizations that form the technical
underpinnings of the Internet DNS, as well as
date-specific milestones designed to help ICANN reach
full corporate maturity.  It has been amended six
times,[5] most recently in September 2003 and will
expire on September 30, 2006.[6]

On June 30, 2005, NTIA released the U.S. Principles on
the Internet?s Domain Name and Addressing System,
which provides in general: the United States
Government intends to preserve the security and
stability of the Internet DNS by maintaining its
historic role in authorizing changes or modifications
to the authoritative root zone file; governments have
legitimate interest in the management of their country
code top level domains (ccTLD); ICANN is the
appropriate technical manager of the Internet DNS; and
dialogue related to Internet governance should
continue in relevant multiple fora.[7]

 

Request for Comment:  Because the current MOU will
expire on September 30, 2006, NTIA seeks comment on
the progress to date of the transition of the
technical coordination and management of the Internet
DNS to the private sector.  

 

The questions below are intended to assist in
identifying the issues and should not be construed as
a limitation on comments that may be submitted.  When
referencing, in your comments, any studies, research,
and other empirical data that are not widely
published, please provide copies of the referenced
materials with the submitted comments.

 

1. The DNS White Paper articulated principles (i.e.,
stability; competition; private, bottom-up
coordination; and representation) necessary for
guiding the transition to private sector management of
the Internet DNS.  Are these principles still
relevant?  Should additional principles be considered
in light of:  the advance in Internet technology; the
expanded global reach of the Internet; the experience
gained over the eight years since the Department of
Commerce issued the DNS White Paper; and the
international dialogue, including the discussions
related to Internet governance at the United Nations
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)? 

 

2.  The DNS White Paper articulated a number of
actions that should be taken in order for the U.S.
Government to transition its Internet DNS technical
coordination and management responsibilities to the
private sector.  These actions appear in the MOU as a
series of core tasks and milestones.  Has ICANN
achieved sufficient progress in its tasks, as agreed
in the MOU, for the transition to take place by
September 30, 2006?

 

3. Are these core tasks and milestones still relevant
to facilitate this transition and meet the goals
outlined in the DNS White Paper and the U.S.
Principles on the Internet?s Domain Name and
Addressing System?  Should new or revised
tasks/methods be considered in order for the
transition to occur?  And on what time frame and by
what method should a transition occur?

 

4.  The DNS White Paper listed several key stakeholder
groups whose meaningful participation is necessary for
effective technical coordination and management of the
Internet DNS.  Are all of these groups involved
effectively in the ICANN process?  If not, how could
their involvement be improved?  Are there key
stakeholder groups not listed in the DNS White Paper,
such as those with expertise in the area of Internet
security or infrastructure technologies, that could
provide valuable input into the technical coordination
and management of the Internet DNS?  If so, how could
their involvement be facilitated?  



5. The DNS White Paper listed principles and
mechanisms for technical coordination and management
of the Internet DNS to encourage meaningful
participation and representation of key stakeholders. 
ICANN, in conjunction with many of these key
stakeholders, has created various supporting
organizations and committees to facilitate stakeholder
participation in ICANN  processes.  Is participation
in these organizations meeting the needs of key
stakeholders and the Internet community?  Are there
ways to improve or expand participation in these
organizations and committees?  

 

6. What methods and/or processes should be considered
to encourage greater efficiency and responsiveness to
governments and ccTLD managers in processing root
management requests to address public policy and
sovereignty concerns?  Please keep in mind the need to
preserve the security and stability of the Internet
DNS and the goal of decision-making at the local
level.  Are there new technology tools available that
could improve this process, such as automation of
request processing?

 

7.  Many public and private organizations have various
roles and responsibilities related to the Internet
DNS, and more broadly, to Internet governance.  How
can information exchange, collaboration and enhanced
cooperation among these organizations be achieved as
called for by the WSIS?[8]

 

Public Meeting:  NTIA announces a public meeting to be
held on July 26, 2006, to discuss issues associated
with this transition.  The agenda for the meeting will
be posted on NTIA?s website, www.ntia.doc.gov, one
week prior to the meeting.

The meeting will be open to the public and press on a
first-come, first-served basis.  Space is limited. 
Due to security requirements and to facilitate entry
to the Department of Commerce building, anyone wishing
to attend must contact Tanika Hawkins at (202)
482?1866 or thawkins@xxxxxxxxxxxx at least five (5)
days prior to the meeting in order to provide the
necessary clearance information.  When arriving for
the meeting, attendees must present photo or passport
identification and/or a U.S. Government building pass,
if applicable, and should arrive at least one-half
hour prior to the start time of the meeting.  The
public meeting is physically accessible to people with
disabilities.  Individuals requiring special services,
such as sign language interpretation or other
ancillary aids are asked to indicate this to Ms.
Hawkins.

 

Dated: May 23, 2006

 

Kathy Smith

 

Chief Counsel, National Telecommunications and
Information Administration





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Memorandum on Electronic Commerce, 2 Pub. Papers
898 (July 1, 1997).

[2] Management of Internet Names and Addresses, 63
Fed. Reg. 31,741 (June 10, 1998).

[3] For more information on the private sector
proposals received see
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/background.htm

[4] Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S.
Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (November 25, 1998),
available at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/icann-memorandum.htm.

[5] All MOU Amendments are available online at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/icann.htm.


[6] Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S.
Department of Commerce and the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers, Amendment 6, available
at
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/agreements/amendment6_09162003.htm.

[7] U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Principles on
the Internet?s Domain Name and Addressing System (June
30, 2005),
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/usdnsprinciples_06302005.htm.

[8] See, e.g., World Summit on the Information
Society, Tunis Agenda for the Information Society
(November 18, 2005), WSIS-05/TUNIS/DOC/6(Rev.1)-E,
available at
http://www.itu.int/wsis/doc2/tunis/off/6rev1.html. 

.

Source URL:
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2006/NOI_DNS_Transition_0506.htm

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