ICANN's Contract Renewed 64
mrogers writes "The International Herald Tribune is reporting that ICANN's contract has been renewed for the next five years. This means the non-profit corporation, which is responsible for allocating IP addresses and administering the top level of the Domain Name System, will not become independent from the U.S. Department of Commerce until at least 2011. The contract is also available as a PDF."
Somebody had to. (Score:5, Funny)
.....sorry.
Re:Somebody had to. (Score:3, Funny)
While we're on the subject... (Score:3, Insightful)
Why are we suddenly supporting ICANN? Because it's an opportunity to attack the U.S.? Come on – wasn't this the same organization that held meetings on critical issues in Ghana so that critics wouldn't come?
Sorry, given the choice of ICANN control of root servers and U.S. control of root servers... I'll s
More ICANN (Score:5, Informative)
For all of its faults, I do not think that there is harm in renewing ICANN's contract. I do not know if they should be renewing it for 5 years, though, as that is an eternity in Internet time.
Those who complain about ICANN cite generally now-resolved issues that have arisen but fail to demonstrate how another agency would have prevented them from becoming problems. On the flipside of the argument, eWeek has a detailed op-ed piece of ICANN's issues. [eweek.com]
Re:More ICANN (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, I think if it's going to be renewed, it SHOULD be an 'eternity in Internet time'. Standards change often enough, and ICANN is one of the few stabilizing factors out there. It's one thing to keep pushing the technology envelope, but working on large systems with a long lead time You really learn to appreciate that if nothing stays the same, you can never finish.
Re:More ICANN (Score:3, Informative)
Re:More ICANN (Score:1)
Re:More ICANN (Score:2)
ICANN 2 (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:More ICANN (Score:4, Informative)
What is important to understand is that this contract does *not* include all of the controversial stuff.
This contract does *not* include ICANN's role as arbiter of who gets to put a new top level domain into the root zone. Nor does this contract deal with ICANN's right to impose its regulatory system onto the domain name registries, registrars, and domain name buyers. Nor does this deal with ICANN's operation of the L-root server.
All that this contract does, in the DNS space, is to obligate ICANN to do some clerical work, according to a prescribed procedure and schedule, to handle requests to update name server (NS) records in the root zone and to update the TLD whois records accordingly.
All-in-all, this leaves ICANN in a precarious legal situation - ICANN is most clearly a combination that restrains trade. And most countries have laws about that sort of thing. As soon as the US government lift's its hand from ICANN's shoulder - and that hand is not to be found in this contract - then folks around the world might begin to ask whether ICANN's combination in restraint of trade passes legal muster under their national laws.
ICANN, presumably gets its authority to do all the stuff that is controversial via a separate document, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US gov't. That has not yet been renewed.
Re: (Score:1)
Repeat after me, "Not
Lovely! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Lovely! (Score:5, Funny)
Big deal.. (Score:1, Insightful)
If it ain't broke, no need to mess with it, right?
Absolutely. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Absolutely. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Absolutely... NOT (Score:2, Interesting)
I've purchased several servers, routers, switches and leased-line services from other providers to build an albeit very small corner of the Internet.
The equipment cost me well over a million dollars and I pay several hundred thousand more each year to maintain it. The circuits cost another hundred grand or so each year.
If you want to use my corner of the Internet to access the rest of it, feel free to pay me just like my other
Re: (Score:2)
The rest just reads "Crazy crazy loony netkooky kooky crazy..."
So the great question is, "Will the kook burn one of his precious two dailies on this one?" I can't wait to find out.
Re:Big deal.. (Score:2)
The biggest objection to ICANN that comes to my mind is that they renewed their contract with Verisign, which seems a very dubious decision indeed.
Re: (Score:1)
Who would be able to do it? (Score:2, Insightful)
You're confusing things, here. (Score:4, Insightful)
It's the same reason that some extremists would rather have totally militarized, radicalized, corrupt "social services" management in southern Lebanon courtesy of Iran via their Hezbollah proxies than embrace western investment in some actually productive, forward-looking western-style democracy and economic productivity that would more quickly raise the standard of living. It simply doesn't feel as good to have someone you resent doing something useful that you're not ready/willing to do yourself. It's the same reason teenagers go through the "I hate my parents" phase... they have a hard time reconciling their dependence, the growing awareness that they don't know how to do everything, and the fact that doing it all yourself is actually very hard, expensive work. So, it's easier just to bitch about it, and let it keep working. Just like the teenagers that "hate" their parents are still happy to sit at the table and wait for Mom to scramble some eggs for them in the morning. Resentment is cheap and easy, and hey, Mom's making eggs (and address space) anyway, right?
Re:You're confusing things, here. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:You're confusing things, here. (Score:2)
I'm sorry, all we serve here are Western Subnet Omlets, but you can have us hold the peppers. Ba-da-bing!
Thank you, I'll be here all week.
Re:You're confusing things, here. (Score:2)
I'd mod you up, but no points.
Re:You're confusing things, here. (Score:2)
Which is why I put the word "hate" in quotes. Because teenagers have a bad habit of being melodramatic and using words like that when they don't really mean it. If you've never heard a typical (and ultimately well rounded) teenager uttering phrases like that, then you need to be around more kids for a reality check. Kids often reflexively dislike their first tastes of some aspects of real
False dichotomy (Score:2)
DAMN!!! (Score:4, Funny)
Government Cost (Score:4, Interesting)
The Contractor shall furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment, services, and facilities to perform the following requirements without any cost to the Government. On or after the effective date of this purchase order, the Contractor may establish and collect fees from third parties (i.e, other than the Government) for the functions performed under this purchase order, provided the fee levels are approved by the Contracting Officer before going into effect, which approval shall not be withheld unreasonably and provided the fee levels are fair and equitable and provided the aggregate fees charged during the term of this purchase order do not exceed the cost of providing the requirements of this purchase order. The Government will review the Contractor's accounting data at anytime fees are charged to verify that the above conditions are being met.
Silly Premise (Score:4, Insightful)
And that is a good thing, because if ICANN did become independent, the US would be free to come up with something to replace it. National entitites are not forced to comply with ICANN. They do it for convienience and compatibility. And seeing as the US is a huge part of the IP traffic in the world, I don't think anyone wants it going off on its own. We definitely do not want W getting any more crazy ideas about "leadership" and "freedom".
Re:Silly Premise (Score:4, Insightful)
You were sounding so rational there, right up to that point. The administration has been one of the most consistent voices speaking out specifically to maintain this arrangement. Exactly in the interests of leadership and freedom. Do you really want the committee-chairman-of-the-week in some back corner of the UN having influence over this vital area? Me neither. Neither does the current administration, which is why they've thrown their weight behind the current arrangement for a long time now.
I know a lot of people just have to reflexively toss in a Bush jab at every turn ("Man, traffic was slow today because of that road work on the freeway. And then when I got to work, I stubbed my toe on my desk chair, as if Bush doesn't have better things to do!"), but these non-sequitors (or worse, contrary-to-the-actual-facts notions) don't help you discredit the administration, they make your complaints seem less valid and more shrill. At least take your shots in the right direction - it's more effective.
Re:Silly Premise (Score:4, Insightful)
Especially any new agency formed by the Bush administration, which is responsible for me stubbing my toe this morning.
Does that explain it a little better?
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Well, there's the problem - it's not true! ICANN has been pretty damn level-headed and easy going, and hasn't been doing the owners of other internation TLDs any disservice (other than not being hostile to the US, which some countries DO consider to be a disservice - too bad!). But not being hostile to the US (or anyone) do
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Re:Silly Premise (Score:3, Interesting)
People seem to really dislike the "taint" of the US on anything. But it doesn't always make those things bad.
*(through several intermediate steps, yes I know)
Re:Silly Premise (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Fine by me.
Me neither.
Oh! I didn't realize you were an ass.
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Really? Which country's policies would you most like influencing it on some given week, China's, or Venezuela's? Hugo Chavez has some excellent thoughts on freedom of communication, thought China is a little more thorough.
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Get a grip!
Re:Silly Premise (Score:2)
Get a grip!
It's not about the content of the file - it's about who says where that server is, which tells people what IP address to resolve when they're sitting in Beijing trying to search for the phrase "Magna Carta." This is about how the freakin' network works, and whether regimes that arrest people for writing about the Magna Carta get to chime in on how it all works. Get your own grip.
Re: (Score:2)
The network will work just fine with or without DNS, by the way. DNS is just another directory application, like LDAP. It isn't integral to anything but DNS clients. In fact, it pretty much sucks in its role as master hostname directory. Let something else replace it. Killing it would be an act of mercy.
ICANN's hiding something even worse (Score:1)
It's easy to make a case that ICANN is dysfunctional because it's run by staff lawyers and held hostage by progressive sovereign states like Ch
Ip's? (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.arin.net/ [arin.net]
Re:Ip's? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Ip's? (Score:5, Informative)
ARIN is a Regionnal Internet Registry [wikipedia.org], it only doles out IP's for North America. In Europe, there's RIPE, then there's APNIC for Asia-Pacific, LACNIC for Latin America and AfriNic for Africa (the latest RIR).
The RIRs have handled IP and AS address allocation since before ICANN existed. While ICANN is officially (to some) at the top of the hierarchy, the RIRs don't really need ICANN. For that matter, nobody really needs ICANN - if the entire staff of ICANN were to go on holiday for 2 years, scant anyone would notice. In fact, I'm not entirely sure they have been working for the past few years at all.
Hmm? (Score:1)
p2p domain name servers? (Score:1, Interesting)