Opinion

Internet Governance in Transition: What's the Destination?

Lawrence White
Quote icon
If ICANN is not accountable to the U.S. government or to other governments, to whom will it be accountable?
By Lawrence White and Thomas Lenard
The U.S. government's decision to relinquish its historic role in Internet governance has set in motion a transition with no clear resolution. The Department of Commerce has asked the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to "convene stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan," but where this will lead is anyone's guess. What is clear is that the transition provides both the opportunity for, and the necessity of, undertaking a fundamental reevaluation of ICANN's accountability mechanisms.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the relatively obscure nonprofit organization that is responsible for the essential Internet governance functions, without which the Internet would not work. It administers the Domain Name System (DNS) — the system of Internet addresses that allows us to access web pages and to communicate through email. It performs these functions under a contract between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the ICANN-operated Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA). The Commerce Department is now proposing to relinquish its key role in awarding the IANA contract, without any replacement mechanism in sight.

In the 16 years of its existence, ICANN has taken seriously its responsibilities. The Internet has flourished and ICANN has made no major missteps. However, the loss of external accountability that is implied by the proposed transition represents a major crossroads. It cannot be assumed that the system will work as well once the U.S. gives up its role.

Read full article as published in The Hill

___
Lawrence White is the Robert Kavesh Professorship in Economics and the ​Deputy Chair, Economics.