7/27/2006 11:05:14 AM, by Eric Bangeman

Over the past couple of years, the issue of Internet governance has become a hot topic. Currently, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is responsible for parceling out IP addresses and domain names. In turn, ICANN operates under the auspices of the US Commerce Department, an arrangement that doesn't sit too well with parts of Europe, the UN, and many developing nations.

Contrary to some reports, things are not about to change. After a meeting at the Commerce Department, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, John M.R. Kneuer, said that the existing arrangement was likely to continue, at least for another year. "There certainly are still strong arguments that there's more work to be done," said Kneuer.

When ICANN was created in 1998, the US government intended for it to be fully privatized by 2000. However, that has failed to happen for a couple of reasons, namely a reluctance on the part of the US to let go control and ICANN's inability to meet some performance benchmarks.

At last fall's World Summit on the Information Society, attendees called for international control of the Internet. What would constitute an ideal alternative to US control differs depending on who one asks. The European Union is on record as desiring a public-private partnership; nations such as Iran, China, and Cuba would like to see "anyone but the US"; and another bloc of countries prefer UN oversight, perhaps via the century-old International Telegraph Union.