[Washington, D.C. – May 24, 2016] – The Internet Society made a statement today in support of the timely transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global Internet community.
The Internet Society has been involved in and followed the IANA Stewardship Transition since the NTIA announcement in March 2014. As the US government continues to review and analyse the IANA final proposal, the Internet Society wishes to reiterate the following:
- The Internet Society strongly supports the IANA Stewardship Transition plan as the means to ensure the continued, uninterrupted operation of the global Internet;
- We are confident that the proposal meets all of the requirements as set out by the NTIA in its statement in March 2014, including that it:
- Supports and enhances the multistakeholder model;
- Maintains the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS;
- Meets the needs and expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA services; and,
- Maintains the openness of the Internet.
- We are confident that the current proposal balances the diversity of the global multistakeholder community, but does so in a manner that does not grant any special powers to any one stakeholder group alone, including governments and intergovernmental institutions;
- We believe that the proposal developed by the global, multistakeholder community ensures the continued stability of key technical functions that are a core part of the smooth operation of the Internet, and provides the path forward for strengthening the stewardship role of the ICANN community;
- Furthermore, we believe that the proposal includes an important shared commitment to performance and performance metrics that are crucial for the security, stability and resiliency of the IANA operation.
The Internet Society looks forward to the timely implementation of the IANA Stewardship Transition, including the revision of ICANN’s Bylaws. A successful IANA transition will strengthen the collaborative, multistakeholder model of governance that has been at the foundation of the Internet’s success to date. The Internet Society is confident that this can be done in a way that allows the contract to expire at the end of September 2016.
From our perspective, the Internet Society sees no reason to delay the IANA Stewardship Transition. In fact, we believe that such a delay would add a degree of instability and making the prospect of government control of the Internet more likely, not less. Currently, there is an impressive momentum and collaboration in the IANA Stewardship Transition process that will only assist and enhance the evolution of the Internet.
The Internet Society believes therefore that the best approach is to empower the multistakeholder model through renewed commitment to the plan. We believe this will:
- Strengthen the solidarity among the diverse group of stakeholders that have been engaged in the 2+ year process to develop the proposal;
- Increase support for the multistakeholder model, which has been the foundation for the tremendous success of the Internet to date. The Internet’s governance requires many voices in order to continue to function in a reliable, stable, secure and predictable manner, and the process in the development of the proposal has proven the multistakeholder model to be effective, efficient and successful.
Whereas stakeholders came together towards a common goal, delaying the transition will challenge the collaborative frameworks that have been established in order to achieve the common goal of a global, free and open Internet that benefits all citizens of the world.
The collaborative nature of the work that has taken place around the IANA Stewardship Transition exemplifies the strength of the multistakeholder model in reflecting the open, distributed, interconnected and trans-national characteristics of the Internet itself. The Internet Society believes that a challenge to the validity of the IANA Stewardship Transition process and its implementation is also a challenge to the very characteristics that have allowed the Internet to thrive.
Note: The testimony today of Internet Architecture Board (IAB) Chair Andrew Sullivan is now available online:
https://www.iab.org/2016/05/24/iab-chair-testifies-before-u-s-senate-at-iana-transition-hearing/
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society, is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone. For more information, visit: www.internetsociety.org.
Media Contact:
Allesandra de Santillana
[email protected]
Telephone +41-22-807-1451