NTIA Hopes To Complete Review of IANA Transition Proposals 'Within 90 Days'
NTIA already has begun evaluating ICANN’s proposed Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition plan and a related set of recommendations for changes to ICANN’s accountability mechanisms, Administrator Larry Strickling said Friday in a blog post. NTIA hopes to complete its review of the proposals “within 90 days” to determine whether the proposals meet NTIA’s criteria for the transition, Strickling said. ICANN sent its IANA transition proposals to NTIA Thursday, after ICANN’s board unanimously approved the plans at ICANN’s meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. ICANN leaders said they're confident the IANA transition-related proposals fully track with NTIA’s transition criteria (see 1603100070). “Not only will ICANN be stronger as a result of this effort, but a successful outcome here would serve as a powerful example to the world that the multistakeholder model can be used to address challenging Internet governance issues,” Strickling said.
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NTIA will consult other federal agencies and “will also be guided” by GAO recommendations as it evaluates the transition proposals, Strickling said. NTIA has said since 2014 that ICANN’s IANA transition plan must support the multistakeholder Internet governance model and maintain the security and stability of the domain name system. The IANA transition plan must also maintain the openness of the Internet and meet the needs of users of the IANA functions. Congress “has a strong interest in this proposal and we expect Congress to closely monitor and review the proposal as well as our evaluation of the plan,” Strickling said. The House Communications Subcommittee plans a hearing Thursday on the status of the IANA transition, and GOP presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and others have connected concerns about ICANN’s relationship with the Chinese government to the IANA transition (see 1603030067).
House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said in a statement Thursday he anticipates “closely reviewing the [IANA transition] proposal and the NTIA's forthcoming report to Congress. Fortunately, the bipartisan [Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (Dotcom) Act] we negotiated last year and passed through the House already set out the framework for ongoing congressional oversight, and I hope to follow that outline as this process continues.” The Dotcom Act (HR-805/S-1551) would give Congress 30 legislative days to review an NTIA report on whether ICANN’s IANA transition plan meets U.S. goals on Internet governance. S-1551 remains stuck in the Senate because of Cruz’s hold on the legislation, but Strickling has pledged that NTIA will give Congress a chance to review ICANN’s plan even if the Dotcom Act isn’t enacted (see 1507080044).
Internet governance stakeholders continued to laud ICANN’s approval of the IANA transition-related proposals Thursday and Friday. ICANN’s transmission of the IANA proposals to NTIA is “not only critical for the transition itself but a further endorsement of global multistakeholder Internet governance,” said Intel Director-Global Security and Internet Governance Policy Audrey Plonk in a blog post. “I am confident that the community behind the incredible work to-date will succeed in completing the transition and moving us fully into 21st century Internet governance.” The Internet industry “is evaluating the proposal and looks forward to supporting a transition plan that preserves a multistakeholder governance model that implements strong accountability measures and controls,” said Internet Association President Michael Beckerman in a statement. “Such a model must treat all stakeholders equitably.”
The IANA transition plan “is reflective of the collaborative nature of the community and I am confident that it protects and enables the continued growth and development of the Internet,” said Internet Society President Kathryn Brown in a news release. ICANN’s proposals “will be instrumental to ensuring the continued stability and reliability of the Internet, especially as it continues to help the world’s people economically, socially and culturally,” said the Internet Governance Coalition in a statement.