Today, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a report assessing the state of the transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to the global multistakeholder community. The NTIA’s detailed, 200-page report offers a thoughtful recommendation to approve and advance the IANA transition on its scheduled date: September 30, 2016. It also offers next steps for the completion of this process, as well as suggestions for improvements post-transition.
Public Knowledge welcomes NTIA findings that the IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal Meets Criteria to Complete Privatization and congratulates the NTIA for their hard work since their announcement to begin the transition process back in 2014. We strongly urge members of Congress to support the NTIA’s decision and the consensus within the internet community that this is the right thing to do.
The following may be attributed to Carolina Rossini, Vice President of Public Knowledge:
“We stand by the decision of the NTIA to uphold the two-year multistakeholder process to foster community empowerment, strengthen review mechanisms, boost transparency, and increase accountability of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) over IANA functions. The approval of a timely transition will help preserve the stability, security, and resiliency of the Domain Name System. The NTIA’s evaluation of the transition’s implementation sends a clear message that the internet is not only in the domain of national governments, but that users around the world also have an essential role in shaping its future.”
Read NTIA’s full report here, the fact-sheet here and Q&A here. You may also read our recent press release, Public Knowledge Joins Public Interest Groups to Reinforce Support for Timely IANA Transition and our Vice President – Carolina Rossini – testimony in Congress for more information.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.