ICANN Gets Domain Name Oversight Extension to 2011

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the agency responsible for overseeing Internet domain names, got a five-year contract extension to continue managing the issuance of domain names until 2011, regardless of international concern that American supervision of the system could lead to the United States getting the final say on what many think should be a neutral global system, The New York Times reports.

ICANN’s current contract with the U.S. Department of Commerce is up at the end of September, according to the Times.

The U.S. government has said in the past that ICANN should eventually operate free of its influence, but the new contract extension means that such a move won’t happen until at least 2011, the Times reports.

The renewal was made official on Tuesday, according to the Times.

The United Nations (U.N.) last year met in Tunisia and discussed the issue of the United States’ involvement with ICANN, and the meeting ended with the conclusion that ICANN should continue to perform its role in domain name supervision—as well as the U.S. government, the Times reports.

The U.N. is to meet again regarding Web oversight in Greece this fall, according to the Times.

Related Link:

• U.S. to Review ICANN Privatization Plan

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