The United States Department of Commerce, sent an official notice to ICANN yesterday, regarding the final stage of the Internet control transition.
The notice indicates that it is still NTIA’s intent to allow the contract to expire as of October 1, 2016, “barring any significant impediment.”
There is no clear definition of what a “significant impediment” might be, and the countdown has started.
ICANN attempts to address the latter, by stating that “a significant impediment for example, might be, a legal or legislative obstacle that would prevent the expiration of the IANA functions contract on September 30, 2016.”
In other words, unless there is some political activity, on an election year no less, by the Republicans, you can wave goodbye to the security provided by the US management of key, core functions of the Internet.
Will the Russians or the United Nations control the Internet from then on?
That remains to be seen. Click here to read about the process.
ICANN in Russian.
