Internet Assigned Numbers Authority Stewardship Transition Consolidated Proposal and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Accountability Enhancements; Request for Comments, 47911-47912 [2015-19525]
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47911-47912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19525]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority Stewardship Transition
Consolidated Proposal and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers Accountability Enhancements; Request for Comments
AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
(NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public comment.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the dates of a comment period during
which the public is invited to provide input on two interrelated
multistakeholder community proposals. Together, the proposals set forth
a plan for transitioning NTIA's stewardship role over the Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions. The purpose of this notice
is to encourage interested parties to comment on the two connected
proposals--the IANA Stewardship Transition Plan and the Enhancements to
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Accountability Related to the IANA Stewardship Transition. NTIA will
utilize the input provided in making its determination of whether the
proposals have received broad community support and whether the plan
satisfies the criteria required to transition its stewardship role.
DATES: Comments on the IANA Stewardship Transition Plan are due on or
before September 8, 2015; comments on the Enhancements to ICANN
Accountability are due on or before September 12, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal
should be submitted at https://www.ianacg.org/calls-for-input/combined-proposal-public-comment-period/. Written comments on the proposed
Enhancements to ICANN's Accountability should be submitted at https://www.icann.org/public-comments/ccwg-accountability-2015-08-03-en.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Heineman, National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4701, Washington, DC
20230; telephone (202) 482-0298; email aheineman@ntia.doc.gov. Please
direct media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-
7002; email press@ntia.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 47912]]
Background
A July 1, 1997, Executive Memorandum directed the Secretary of
Commerce to privatize the Internet's domain name system (DNS) in a
manner that increases competition and facilitates international
participation in its management.\1\ To fulfill this Presidential
Directive, the Department of Commerce issued a Statement of Policy on
June 10, 1998, stating that the U.S. Government ``is committed to a
transition that will allow the private sector to take leadership for
DNS management.'' \2\ On March 14, 2014, NTIA announced its intent to
complete the privatization of the DNS.\3\ In that announcement, NTIA
called upon ICANN to convene a multistakeholder process to develop the
transition plan.\4\ While looking to stakeholders and those most
directly served by the IANA functions to work through the technical
details, NTIA established a clear framework to guide the discussion.
Specifically, NTIA communicated to ICANN that the transition proposal
must have broad community support and address the following four
principles:
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\1\ Memorandum on Electronic Commerce, 2 Pub. Papers 898 (July
1, 1997).
\2\ National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
Management of Internet Names and Addresses, 63 FR 31741 (June 10,
1998), available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/1998/statement-policy-management-internet-names-and-addresses.
\3\ See NTIA's authorities, 15 U.S.C. 1512; 47 U.S.C.
902(b)(2)(H).
\4\ NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name
Functions (Mar. 14, 2014) available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2014/ntia-announces-intent-transition-key-internet-domain-name-functions.
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Support and enhance the multistakeholder model;
Maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the
Internet DNS;
Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and
partners of the IANA services; and
Maintain the openness of the Internet.
Consistent with the clear policy expressed in bipartisan
resolutions of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives \5\--which
affirmed the United States support for the multistakeholder model of
Internet governance--NTIA stated that it will not accept a proposal
that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led or an inter-
governmental organization solution. In response to NTIA's announcement,
the community mobilized two efforts. First, the IANA customer
communities took responsibility to develop an IANA stewardship
transition plan, coordinated by an IANA-Stewardship Coordination Group
(ICG).\6\ Second, the community undertook to develop ICANN
accountability enhancements deemed necessary prior to the transition of
NTIA's stewardship role. These accountability enhancements are being
developed through a Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN
Accountability (CCWG-Accountability).\7\
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\5\ A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress
regarding actions to preserve and advance the multistakeholder
governance model under which the Internet has thrived, 112th Cong.
2nd sess. S.Con.Res.50 and H.Con.Res.127 (2012).
\6\ See IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group,
available at https://www.ianacg.org/.
\7\ See CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability, available at
https://community.icann.org/display/acctcrosscomm/CCWG+on+Enhancing+ICANN+Accountability.
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The ICG and CCWG are now seeking public comment on their respective
recommendations. Comments provided will be used by NTIA to determine
whether the proposals satisfy NTIA's criteria and have received broad
community support. Comments will also be considered in any NTIA
certification before the U.S. Congress that may be required prior to
terminating the existing IANA functions contract currently in place
between NTIA and ICANN.\8\ To ensure that all views are taken into
consideration, NTIA encourages interested parties--including U.S.-based
stakeholders--to file written comments by the deadline.
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\8\ DOTCOM Act of 2015, H.R. 805 and S. 1551, 114th Cong.
(2015).
Dated: August 4, 2015.
Angela Simpson,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-19525 Filed 8-7-15; 8:45 am]
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