[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47911-47912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19525]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration


Internet Assigned Numbers Authority Stewardship Transition 
Consolidated Proposal and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and 
Numbers Accountability Enhancements; Request for Comments

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the dates of a comment period during 
which the public is invited to provide input on two interrelated 
multistakeholder community proposals. Together, the proposals set forth 
a plan for transitioning NTIA's stewardship role over the Internet 
Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions. The purpose of this notice 
is to encourage interested parties to comment on the two connected 
proposals--the IANA Stewardship Transition Plan and the Enhancements to 
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 
Accountability Related to the IANA Stewardship Transition. NTIA will 
utilize the input provided in making its determination of whether the 
proposals have received broad community support and whether the plan 
satisfies the criteria required to transition its stewardship role.

DATES: Comments on the IANA Stewardship Transition Plan are due on or 
before September 8, 2015; comments on the Enhancements to ICANN 
Accountability are due on or before September 12, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal 
should be submitted at https://www.ianacg.org/calls-for-input/combined-proposal-public-comment-period/. Written comments on the proposed 
Enhancements to ICANN's Accountability should be submitted at https://www.icann.org/public-comments/ccwg-accountability-2015-08-03-en.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ashley Heineman, National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Room 4701, Washington, DC 
20230; telephone (202) 482-0298; email [email protected]. Please 
direct media inquiries to NTIA's Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-
7002; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 47912]]

Background

    A July 1, 1997, Executive Memorandum directed the Secretary of 
Commerce to privatize the Internet's domain name system (DNS) in a 
manner that increases competition and facilitates international 
participation in its management.\1\ To fulfill this Presidential 
Directive, the Department of Commerce issued a Statement of Policy on 
June 10, 1998, stating that the U.S. Government ``is committed to a 
transition that will allow the private sector to take leadership for 
DNS management.'' \2\ On March 14, 2014, NTIA announced its intent to 
complete the privatization of the DNS.\3\ In that announcement, NTIA 
called upon ICANN to convene a multistakeholder process to develop the 
transition plan.\4\ While looking to stakeholders and those most 
directly served by the IANA functions to work through the technical 
details, NTIA established a clear framework to guide the discussion. 
Specifically, NTIA communicated to ICANN that the transition proposal 
must have broad community support and address the following four 
principles:
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    \1\ Memorandum on Electronic Commerce, 2 Pub. Papers 898 (July 
1, 1997).
    \2\ National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Management of Internet Names and Addresses, 63 FR 31741 (June 10, 
1998), available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/federal-register-notice/1998/statement-policy-management-internet-names-and-addresses.
    \3\ See NTIA's authorities, 15 U.S.C. 1512; 47 U.S.C. 
902(b)(2)(H).
    \4\ NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name 
Functions (Mar. 14, 2014) available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2014/ntia-announces-intent-transition-key-internet-domain-name-functions.
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     Support and enhance the multistakeholder model;
     Maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the 
Internet DNS;
     Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and 
partners of the IANA services; and
     Maintain the openness of the Internet.
    Consistent with the clear policy expressed in bipartisan 
resolutions of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives \5\--which 
affirmed the United States support for the multistakeholder model of 
Internet governance--NTIA stated that it will not accept a proposal 
that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led or an inter-
governmental organization solution. In response to NTIA's announcement, 
the community mobilized two efforts. First, the IANA customer 
communities took responsibility to develop an IANA stewardship 
transition plan, coordinated by an IANA-Stewardship Coordination Group 
(ICG).\6\ Second, the community undertook to develop ICANN 
accountability enhancements deemed necessary prior to the transition of 
NTIA's stewardship role. These accountability enhancements are being 
developed through a Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN 
Accountability (CCWG-Accountability).\7\
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    \5\ A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress 
regarding actions to preserve and advance the multistakeholder 
governance model under which the Internet has thrived, 112th Cong. 
2nd sess. S.Con.Res.50 and H.Con.Res.127 (2012).
    \6\ See IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group, 
available at https://www.ianacg.org/.
    \7\ See CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability, available at 
https://community.icann.org/display/acctcrosscomm/CCWG+on+Enhancing+ICANN+Accountability.
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    The ICG and CCWG are now seeking public comment on their respective 
recommendations. Comments provided will be used by NTIA to determine 
whether the proposals satisfy NTIA's criteria and have received broad 
community support. Comments will also be considered in any NTIA 
certification before the U.S. Congress that may be required prior to 
terminating the existing IANA functions contract currently in place 
between NTIA and ICANN.\8\ To ensure that all views are taken into 
consideration, NTIA encourages interested parties--including U.S.-based 
stakeholders--to file written comments by the deadline.
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    \8\ DOTCOM Act of 2015, H.R. 805 and S. 1551, 114th Cong. 
(2015).

    Dated: August 4, 2015.
Angela Simpson,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-19525 Filed 8-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-60-P