No matter how nebulous it may seem, the Internet requires a lot of maintenance and coordination. The web is a global system, after all. To manage such a vast network, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was established, mostly to work with the Domain Name System.
Since its creation in 1998, ICANN has been overseen by the United States. It’s an arrangement that has left the rest of the world uneasy, especially given the US government’s role in digital surveillance. And despite attempts by Republican lawmakers to block the move, President Obama has led a plan to cede US control.
According to Fadi Chehade, president and CEO of ICANN, opposition is fading, and the organization is on track to be handed over to a global multi-stakeholder.
"I think they see now that this is actually a good thing for the Internet," he said, according to Reuters. "The fragmentation of the Internet is bad for everyone."
Chehade says that the organization is working to implement a number of accountability measures to ensure that ICANN remains out of the control of any one government.
"I’m never comfortable, but I am optimistic and I believe that all interests are now aligned…Everybody sees that this makes sense."
ICANN’s contract with the US Commerce Department is set to expire in September, and while the transition may not be perfectly timed with that date, the organization is working on the particulars of how ICANN will operate under an international body.
The proposal will be ready by year’s end, according to Chehade, and another 60-90 days will need to be allowed for its review by US officials.
That puts the handover somewhere around the next presidential election cycle. While that timing could see renewed Republican backlash as political rivalries flare, Chehade remains confident in the proposal’s passing.
Still, if the ICANN handover sees delays beyond November of 2016, a new president could cause problems. On Tuesday, the White House issued a veto threat against a bill proposed in the Republican-led House of Representatives. If passed, that legislation would have cut funding to the Commerce Department’s budget, hindering its ability to participate in ICANN’s transition.
Much of that lingering opposition stems from unproven fears.
"When we started we heard things like the UN would take over or China will fragment the Internet," Chehade said last month, according to AFP. "Now that China has come to the table, and Brazil has done the same, government after government is showing support."
