Aussie steps into ICANN hot seat

Stuart Corner
Friday, 14 July 2006 13:11

IT Industry - Strategy

Australian corporate affairs specialist, Paul Levins has been appointed as the first VP of corporate affairs for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) at a time when the US Government is in the throes of a major enquiry into ICANN's ongoing role in the Internet. He tells iTWire how he sees his role. ICANN was formed in 1998 in response to a directive form then US president, Bill Clinton, to privatise the domain name system (DNS) "in a manner that increases competition and facilitates international participation in its management." ICANN fulfils this role under a contract from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a US government body within the Department of Commerce.

ICANN's three year contract is up for renewal on 30 September 2006, and the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a press release on 19 May 2006 announcing its intent to renew that contract. The Department said it "continues to believe that ICANN is uniquely qualified to perform these services that are critical to the stability and security of the Internet."