News story

UK backs US over ICANN internet move

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey has welcomed the US government’s decision to transfer its responsibility for the internet’s domain name system to an international, multi-stakeholder process.

• From: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport and Ed Vaizey
• Published: 21 March 2014

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has managed and coordinated the Internet’s address system since 1998 under contract from the US Government. The contract expires in September 2015.

Mr Vaizey said:

The time is right move towards transferring responsibility for the internet’s domain name system into an open and transparent multi-stakeholder process which is fully accountable to the global Internet community.

The US government has asked ICANN to develop a plan for the transition to a multi-stakeholder process.

ICANN will hold its 50th public meeting of global stakeholders in London in June this year. Mr Vaizey is convening a meeting of government ministers and senior policymakers.

He said:

This meeting will provide an opportunity for senior government policymakers to discuss how they can contribute to the process of globalisation of the Internet’s critical infrastructure resources.

Published 21 March 2014