The only possible outcome

30/04/2015

The LACNIC event that will be held in Lima on 18-22 May will provide an excellent opportunity to catch up on the latest news regarding the transition of stewardship of the the IANA functions (domain names, numbers and protocol parameters functions).

The LACNIC 23 program includes multiple activities to inform the community on the progress achieved after the regional consultation that ended last October. On Tuesday 19 May at 2.00 pm, a panel will be held on the Consolidated RIR IANA Stewardship Proposal Team (CRISP Team) proposal, followed by a public debate and consultation with the LACNIC community on the possible outcomes of the IANA functions stewardship transition.

Ernesto Majó, LACNIC’s External Relations & Communications Manager, shared the latest news on this process with LACNIC News.

What is the status of the transition of stewardship of the IANA functions?

The various communities involved with the IANA’s three basic functions (the names function, the numbers function and the protocol parameters function) have implemented separate processes aimed at analyzing the improvements and adjustments that must be considered in order to ensure that the processes under the IANA’s responsibility are carried out. The protocol parameters community (basically, the IETF) and the numbers community (the communities of the five Regional Internet Registries) have already submitted their proposals to the Global Internet Coordination Group (ICG), who is charged with consolidating the different proposals and verifying that the principles established by the NTIA have been observed. The domain names community, which in turn includes several communities, is working through the Cross Community Working Group (CWG) to consolidate a common proposal that addresses the interests of the various stakeholders.

In turn, the numbers community, through its CRISP team, has continued to move forward in developing the key elements of its proposal, such as the Service Level Agreement (SLA) and the appointment of the Review Committee to advise the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) on the review of the IANA functions operator’s performance.

What happened to the final document submitted by the Latin American and Caribbean community?

The proposal developed by the LACNIC community, was one of the basic inputs considered by CRISP, a specialized team made up by three representatives of each RIR region (15 members) that was charged with consolidating a single proposal which was submitted to the ICG on 15 January 2015 within the time frame that had been established. This proposal incorporates some of the elements considered in each region’s discussions and conferences, as well as the input received on the ianaxfer@nro.net mailing list.

The proposal to create a MONC (Multistakeholder Number Oversight Council) evolved into the Review Committee, which will be responsible for annually advising the Regional Internet Registries on the review of the performance of IANA functions operator (currently ICANN).

What new participation opportunities will the LACNIC 23 event offer the LACNIC community to discuss the future of the stewardship of the IANA functions in the administration of Internet numbering resources? Will the meeting to be held in Lima be the final opportunity to publicly discuss this issue?

The LACNIC 23 program will include multiple activities to inform the community on the progress achieved after the regional consultation that ended last October, especially everything related to the work completed by the CRISP team.

Participation is welcome on the mailing list specifically created by the NRO for this purpose: ianaxfer@nro.net. There, anyone who wishes to do so can submit their contributions for consideration by the CRISP  team, as the community –represented in the CRISP team– has the authority to modify and adjust the proposal if it sees fit.

As entities, the RIRs and the NRO have no role in this process beyond making available a space where the community can fulfill this major responsibility.

What is the most likely outcome as to who will take over the IANA functions stewardship role?

There is only one possible outcome. Sooner or later, the IANA functions stewardship role will be assumed by the community under the form it considers most appropriate. The NTIA has set certain conditions for the proposal. In so far as these conditions are met, the NTIA must inevitably process the transition so that the community can take responsibility for auditing process compliance.