The U.S. Department of Commerce will hold a hearing Wednesday to discuss the future of Internet domain name management, which it currently oversees via the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a Calif.-based nonprofit firm that was tasked with managing the system in 1998, BBC News reports.In the past, critics have charged the U.S. government and ICANN with exercising excessive influence when assigning or denying domain names. ICANN assigns IP numbers and domain names, and it determines whether to approve root-level names like .com, .net or .org for Web usage, according to BBC News.A deadline to hand over management of the domain system to a private entity has been set for Sept. 30, 2006, though the Commerce Department can still delay the transition, according to BBC News.Under the current system, any significant changes to the domain name system must be OK’d by the Commerce Department, but the U.S. government would hand over its control of the system if management were shifted to a private entity. On Wednesday, the Commerce Department will hear arguments and see evidence in relation to whether ICANN is ready to operate without government backing, BBC News reports.Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe