US retains control of DNS root zone file

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: July 1, 2005 8:03:02 AM EDT
To: Blaster <rforno () infowarrior org>
Cc: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
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.





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