The United States is in the final legs of its 18-year effort to privatize the internet domain name system (DNS). On Oct.1, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is expected to relinquish control of the DNS to the private sector.
NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling made the announcement in a blog post, giving a brief backgrounder on the process. In June, the transition proposal created by the internet multistakeholder community was deemed in compliance with the criteria set by the NTIA in 2014, when the agency declared its intentions to shift stewardship of the DNS to private entities.
Now, the NTIA has confirmed that the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has completed or will complete the requisites of the transition by the end of its contract, announcing that it intends to let the ICANN cease its DNS-related functions starting Oct. 1.
"For the last 18 years, the United States has been working with the global internet multistakeholder community to establish a stable and secure multistakeholder model of internet governance," said Strickling. According to him, this is to ensure that control over the internet's DNS is in the hands of the private sector and not the governments.
Not everyone is pleased with the announcement, however.
"This is a deliberate affront to Congress. Doing something Congress expressly told the NTIA not to do is dangerously erosive of the rule of law and the Constitution's separation of powers," said Berin Szóka, president of TechFreedom.
According to Szóka, taxpayer funds cannot be used to relinquish the NTIA's responsibility over the DNS. He explained that assessing ICANN's report and coming up with the decision required staff time for the NTIA, meaning salaries were paid.
However, he clarified that TechFreedom is not against privatizing the DNS per se. Rather, their group feels the NTIA is rushing the move before ensuring that important issues are resolved. The NTIA maintains that accountability measures are in place but Szóka doesn't think it is enough.
The GOP is also worried that privatizing the DNS means the U.S. is essentially handing over control of the system to entities that will manipulate it for political reasons.
Is there still something that critics can do to stop the transition?
Szóka said that the courts can still halt the transition but Strickling signed off on his post by sending his appreciation to everyone involved in the effort, giving it a sense of finality.
What do you think of privatizing the DNS? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo: Blaise Alleyne | Flickr
