Number Resource Organization Supports Decision to End Collaboration Agreement Between US Government and ICANN

EBENE, Mauritius - NRO Makes Recommendations to Ensure Future Stability of the Internet Domain Name System

The Number Resource Organization (NRO), formed by the world’s five Regional Internet Registries(1), today expresses its support to end the collaboration agreement between the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the US Department of Commerce. The NRO also makes recommendations for the management of the Domain Name System (DNS) to ensure its future stability.

The DNS is currently managed by ICANN and the US Department of Commerce under an agreement set to expire on 30 September 2009. The NRO recommends that stability, competition, bottom-up coordination and representation remain the guiding principles for the governance of ICANN after this agreement expires.

Adiel Akplogan, NRO Chairman, comments: “The continuing development of the Internet is due to the well-established principles of bottom-up industry self-regulation. An industry-driven, multi-stakeholder approach is more flexible than government-based processes, and as a result able to adapt rapidly to meet the changing needs of the Internet and its users.

“We believe that the principles that have guided the management of the DNS until now will enable the growth and development of the Internet in the future too, and advise that US Government involvement in ICANN is no longer necessary.”

Industry-wide collaboration between the technical community, supporting organisations, national governments and law enforcement agencies helps ensure an open and transparent policy development process and management of Internet number resources. This approach, as implemented in the ICANN framework, promotes access, diversity, openness and security as well as community-based management of critical Internet resources.

The NRO calls on the US Government to end its collaboration agreement with ICANN on its 30 September 2009 expiry date, and to consider the NRO’s comments when deciding on how to transition the technical coordination and management of the DNS.

References

(1) AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, RIPE NCC

Media contacts Lucie Smith/Drennan du Plooy/Kersti Klami Racepoint Group UK Tel: +44(0)208-752-3200 Email: ripencc@racepointgroup.com

Source: The Number Resource Organization (NRO)

Media contacts: Lucie Smith/Drennan du Plooy/Kersti Klami, Racepoint Group UK, Tel: +44(0)208-752-3200, Email: ripencc at racepointgroup.com