[IP] US retains control of DNS root zone file
Begin forwarded message:
From: Richard Forno <rforno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: July 1, 2005 8:03:02 AM EDT
To: Blaster <rforno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: US retains control of DNS root zone file
The US Department of Commerce has announced an unexpected new policy
regarding the Domain Name System (DNS) and the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
In previous pronouncements, the US had indicated that the US would
someday
release its ultimate control over the "root" -- the file that
contains the
master list of authorized registries and thus determines which TLDs
show up
on the consensus Internet and who shall have the valuable right to sell
names in them. That day would come if and when ICANN fulfilled a
number of
conditions spelled out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Today's announcement says the opposite: the US plans to keep control
of the
root indefinitely, thus freezing the status quo. Nothing will change
immediately as a result. But the timing is weird, coming as it does
only a
short time before the forthcoming meeting of the UN-sponsored World
Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS).
More history/analysis at:
http://www.discourse.net/archives/2005/06/
us_drops_icanndns_bombshell_on_wsi
s.html
U.S. Principles on the Internet's Domain Name and Addressing System
The United States Government intends to preserve the security and
stability of the Internet's Domain Name and Addressing System (DNS).
Given
the Internet's importance to the world's economy, it is essential
that the
underlying DNS of the Internet remain stable and secure. As such, the
United
States is committed to taking no action that would have the potential to
adversely impact the effective and efficient operation of the DNS and
will
therefore maintain 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). The United States recognizes that
governments have legitimate public policy and sovereignty concerns with
respect to the management of their ccTLD. As such, the United States is
committed to working with the international community to address these
concerns, bearing in mind the fundamental need to ensure stability and
security of the Internet’s DNS.
ICANN is the appropriate technical manager of the Internet DNS. The
United States continues to support the ongoing work of ICANN as the
technical manager of the DNS and related technical operations and
recognizes
the progress it has made to date. The United States will continue to
provide
oversight so that ICANN maintains its focus and meets its core technical
mission.
Dialogue related to Internet governance should continue in relevant
multiple fora. Given the breadth of topics potentially encompassed
under the
rubric of Internet governance there is no one venue to appropriately
address
the subject in its entirety. While the United States recognizes that the
current Internet system is working, we encourage an ongoing dialogue
with
all stakeholders around the world in the various fora as a way to
facilitate
discussion and to advance our shared interest in the ongoing
robustness and
dynamism of the Internet. In these fora, the United States will
continue to
support market-based approaches and private sector leadership in
Internet
development broadly.
-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as roessler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To manage your subscription, go to
http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip
Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/