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Media InformationArchived Press ReleasesInternet Society Schedules Summit for Discussing the Structure of the "New IANA"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 1998 International Program Set July 24-25, in Geneva, SwitzerlandRESTON, Virginia -- Stakeholders, policy makers and Internet leaders from throughout the world will participate in a major Internet Summit organized by the Internet Society to establish a global consensus on the future of the Internet’s domain naming system, July 24 to 25, in Geneva, Switzerland. Representatives from more than 120 countries are expected to discuss the next major steps needed to assist in the definition and development of a non-profit corporation — the "new" IANA, or Internet Assigned Names Authority — to administer the Internet domain names, addresses, and other parameters required in the proper functioning of Internet protocols. The Internet Summit follows release of a U.S. government White Paper on its policy to transfer the Internet’s domain name system to the private sector, allowing for self governance with coordinated functions provided by a new non-profit corporation. The administration of the Internet names and addresses is currently performed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which operates under the charter of ISOC and is funded by the U.S. government. "It is clear that the new corporation alluded to in the U.S. government White Paper will need to be based on work done by the existing IANA and its director Jon Postel and directly involve them," said Don Heath, president of the Internet Society. "Any attempt to do otherwise would certainly not produce the needed consensus and could lead to a serious threat of instability to the Internet." The Internet Summit will be held in conjunction with INET’98, ISOC’s eighth annual conference to be held in Geneva, July 21-24. The conference provides an international forum for leading Internet players to discuss the evolution of the Internet and its future impact on many key areas of society, from health and education to electronic commerce. "This is a perfect time to build an international consensus on the domain name issue," said Heath. "Top industry, government and organization leaders will be attending INET’98 and global participation in the Internet Summit should speed movement toward consensus on many issues and help ensure the new private, non-governmental model is in place before September 30, 1998." The list of speakers addressing the issue of the "new IANA" includes Jon Postel, director of the current IANA; Ira Magaziner, senior advisor on U.S. Internet policy to President Bill Clinton; Robert Verrue, director general of DGXIII, which is responsible for the development of the European information highways; and Dr. Paul Twomey, CEO of the National Office of Information Economy (NOIE), Australia. The panel will be chaired by Henry H. Perritt, Jr., dean of the Chicago Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology. There also will be sessions dealing the various aspects of network addressing administration, trademark issues, the future governance of Country Codes with RIPE, ANIC and ARIN, and other self governance issues. Speakers will include representatives from international organizations including the European Union, the World Trade Organization, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. "The INET conferences have always been an excellent forum for making great progress on major issues confronting the Internet," said Dr. Jon Postel, director of the IANA. "The key players from every corner of the world come to INET and it is very conducive to consensus building." INET’98 conference details and registration information are available at the Internet Society web site http://www.isoc.org. Since 1992, the Internet Society has served as the international organization for global coordination and cooperation on the Internet, promoting and maintaining a broad spectrum of activities focused on the Internet’s development, availability and associated technologies. ISOC is a non-governmental, international organization and its members include private companies, government agencies, foundations, entrepreneurial organizations and more than 6,000 individual members. Contacts:Don Heath, heath@isoc.org Tom Gable, tomg@gablegroup.com More information on IFWP - Geneva, the International Forum On The White Paper Conference in Geneva, Switzerland: http://www.geneva.ifwp.org More information on the White Paper and Internet Domain Names issues |
