The Internet will officially cut the cord with the US government in 2016

In a move meant to formally recognize the independence of the web, the US government will no longer oversee the Internet later this year.

The government’s intent to reduce its level of oversight was originally announced in March 2014. At that time, it said it would look to maintain a multi-stakeholder model for Internet governance to ensure the change in oversight will not affect how the Internet operates. 

Fad Chehade, the chief executive of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), said that the change will reassure users, businesses, and outside government about its integrity. He went on to say the transition should officially happen September 30 — one year later than originally planned. 

Should the US government approve the transition plan between now and then, “then the contract between ICANN and the US government which is set to naturally expire on September 30 will just expire,” he said in an interview. 

Chehade went on to explain that ICANN, which is a private, non-profit organization, presently serves as an effective “traffic cop” to ensure the Internet address system functions properly. He said the US government’s role has been to make sure ICANN follows all correct procedures.

“In all the years we've done that (the US government) has never said we did not follow the process,” he said. “People have aggrandized the role of the US government in what we do. But the change is actually minimal. It's important symbolically because the US was really a steward for the Internet, but for day-to-day accountability, it is minimal.”

The aforementioned “multi-stakeholder” model the US government wants to uphold is designed to permit all forms of web users, from businesses to educational institutions to governments and more, to participate; this is as opposed to a “multilateral” system which would in all likelihood be controlled by governments only. 

Chehade explained that with this sort of set-up, ICANN would manage the technical functions of the Internet under the supervision of a 16-member board designed to maintain diverse representation. 

“We have a very solid process that ensures this is not a capturable board,” he said, suggesting that any other design would have the potential of being hijacked by governments or other institutions. Chehade said he hopes the final transition will “strengthen the assurances that ICANN will remain multi-stakeholder,” and that this would, in turn, give Internet users more authority to appeal to overturn decisions and in some instances, remove board members as warranted.

He went on to point out that while ICANN can be a bit unwieldy, most decisions are made by consensus, and disputed votes are few and far between. 

A new round of hearings are expected to take place in Congress, Chehade said when explaining the next few steps ahead for ICANN before the transition takes place. After that, there will likely be some formal complaints logged by US lawmakers that the government is “giving away” the Internet, which will likely include the suggestion that the Internet could be controlled by other governments.

“I think the concerns Congress has raised are very justified and genuine and therefore being prepared to address them is crucial,” he said, adding that the organization’s track record has proven effective thus far. “The independence of ICANN has been proven to be working for many years,” he said.
“It's been working and we are now simply admitting that. We are ending the symbolic role of the US government which should have been let go in 2000.” 

Via Phys.org