[ALAC-Announce] Commerce Department Awards Contract for Management of Key Internet Functions to ICANN

[At-Large Staff]

From:   
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2012/commerce-department-awards-contr
act-management-key-internet-functions-icann


Commerce Department Awards Contract for Management of Key Internet
Functions to ICANN


July 02, 2012

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA) announced today that it has awarded
the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract to the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).  The IANA
functions are key technical services critical to the continued operations
of the Internet's underlying address book, the Domain Name System (DNS).
Last year, in anticipation of the contract's expiration, NTIA consulted
with Internet stakeholders, both domestic and international, on how best
to enhance the performance of these services.  Based on input from the
global community, NTIA added new requirements. Those include a clear
separation between the policy development associated with the IANA
services, and implementation by the IANA functions contractor; a robust
company-wide conflict of interest policy; a heightened respect for local
national law; and a series of consultation and reporting requirements to
increase transparency and accountability.
The process used over the last year, and the resulting new contract
requirements, are tailored to ensure respect for the relevant global
multi-stakeholder policy processes. This is consistent with NTIA's belief
that the multi-stakeholder model is the most effective way to address
Internet issues, and further internationalizes the IANA functions.
The IANA Functions include:

(1) the coordination of the assignment of technical Internet protocol
parameters;

(2) the administration of certain responsibilities associated with the
Internet DNS root zone management;

(3) the allocation of Internet numbering resources;

and

(4) other services related to the management of the ARPA and INT top-level
domains (TLDs).
The current IANA contract expires on September 30, 2012. The period of
performance for the contract announced today is October 1, 2012 -
September 30, 2015, with two separate two-year option periods for a total
contract period of seven years.