Cable Operators, Others Say 'We Can' To ICANN Transition Process

Cable operators and other media company stakeholders in the Internet Governance Coalition say they welcome the National Telecommunications & Information Administration's announcement that it will work on transitioning US oversight functions over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the domain naming system (DNS) body, to a nongovermental, multistakeholder model.

The coalition said that it embraces the opportunity to help with that transition. "We especially applaud NTIA's resolve to 'maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS' and not to 'accept a proposal that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led or an inter-governmental organization solution.' The latter would be a definite nonstarter."

The coalition unites edge players and cable and telecommunications Internet service providers (ISPs), networks and tech companies. Its members include Amazon, AT&T, Cisco Systems, Comcast NBCUniversal, Google, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, Telefónica, Disney, Time Warner Cable, Twenty-First Century Fox, and Verizon. NTIA's move -- it has been the "historic steward" of the domain naming system -- is consistent with the Obama Administration's support of a multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

The switch-over won't be for a while, though, as the NTIA's current contract with ICANN is not up until Sept 30, 2015, and in the interim it will continue in its stewardship role.