CTO meets to review Internet governance transition

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is convening a meeting of experts to review transition plans underway to transfer the management of the Internet from the U.S. government to the broader Internet community.

Consultations on how the stewardship of the management of names, numbers and protocols of the should be transitioned from the bastion of the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to the wider globally-distributed Internet community will close at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation Forum 2015 taking place from September 14-16 in Nairobi, Kenya, the technology body has said.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – under the proposals – will have a role in managing the resources in the new Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA) regime through an independent subsidiary under contract with the five regional Internet registries and the Internet Engineering Task Force.

“The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – under the proposals – will have a role in managing the resources in the new Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA) regime through an independent subsidiary under contract with the five regional Internet registries and the Internet Engineering Task Force.”

Sunday Folayan, President of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA)

At the forum, Theresa Swineheart, senior adviser on global strategy to the ICANN’s president, is expected to deliver a keynote on the open inclusiveness of the consultation process and the issues at stake.

Later, Nigel Hickson, vice-president for intergovernmental organisations at ICANN, will chair a session looking at how all the stakeholders of the Internet community have been actively collaborating to secure appropriate arrangements to replace the US role in the IANA process; how the proposed measures would make ICANN even more accountable to the global Internet community; how it is important for all interested in the IANA transition process to have their say during the current consultation process, among other issues.

Delegates at the Nairobi event will also hear from Tony Clemson, head of cyber capacity building and prosperity at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Alice Wanjira-Munyua, former chair of the Kenyan Internet Governance Steering Committee, on their prognosis on securing the future of the Internet.