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ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the body that presides over the Internet, has said that the Web in private hands has proven unworkable. Subsequently, the organisation has called for a new structure that will allow it to better fulfill its mission.
The current board of ICANN is composed of 19 directors with nine "At-Large" directors, a president, as well as nine other directors selected by ICANN's three supporting organisations. Five of the "At-Large" directors are selected according to a vote of Internet users worldwide.
"The current structure of ICANN was widely recognised as an experiment when created three years ago," noted board chairman Vint Cerf. "The rapid expansion of and increasing global dependence on the Internet have made it clear that a new structure is essential if ICANN is to fulfill its mission."
The new structure calls for governments to nominate one-third of a new 15-member board with another third through a committee process and the rest consisting of ICANN's president and appointments by four policy and technical groups.
"What has become clear to me and others is that a purely private organisation will not work," said Stuart Lynn, ICANN president. Lynn's vision for the body is one that is controlled in part by governments from around the globe with participation of technical bodies and other organisations.
ICANN has faced opposition from the first day it was established. In recent years however much of this opposition has come from so called ccTLDs (country code top level domains) who have refused to accept ICANN's authority as the principle administrator of the Internet. Many ccTLDs have refused to pay dues -- or donations, depending on one's point of view -- to ICANN as a result of these disputes.
In fact ICANN has cited a lack of appropriate funding as one of the main areas that require attention. It is thought that more involvement from governments will result in enhanced funding for the organisation. The body also calls for new fees for some ICANN services.
"The system is clearly not working now, so I welcome any change," said Ken Sorrie co-founder for UK-based domain registrar Internetters. "Currently there is a thought that ICANN is dominated by US interests. But what it needs is to be more balanced with more participation from around the world and greater uniformity."
Whether the proposed restructuring will force greater co-operation between ccTLDs and ICANN is uncertain. And despite the approval of the move by registrars, other groups are sure to object to the proposed restructuring including privacy groups and businesses who will now have to deal with an organisation that is partially controlled by governments, and possibly heavily funded by them as well.
"They (the reforms) will not appeal to those whose thinking is limited to self-interest in a narrow sense," said Lynn. "They will be embraced, I hope, by those who see their self-interest within the broader context of what is good for the community as a whole."
ICANN's next public meetings are scheduled for March 10-14 in Accra, Ghana where the issues are expected to be discussed further.
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