New ICANN chief outlines agenda

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a political science experiment on a global scale. This 3-year-old, nonprofit organization sets policy for domain names, IP addresses and root servers using a consensus-driven process open to all Internet users. Senior Editor Carolyn Duffy Marsan recently interviewed ICANN's new president, Stuart Lynn, about his plans to improve the group's acceptability, as well as:

Key challenges facing ICANN
Issues for corporate Internet users
ICANN's relationship with the Bush Administration
The impact of the global economic slowdown on ICANN

You've been president and CEO of ICANN for five months. Why did you agree to take this job, which must be one of the most controversial jobs in the network industry?

It is [controversial,] but it is a lot of fun. You really get the feeling that you can make a difference.

What interaction did you have with ICANN prior to joining as president?

Virtually none. But I was heavily involved with building and developing Internet technology at the University of California. [Lynn previously served as associate vice president for information resources and communications at the University of California Office of the President.] There was some attraction to bringing someone in who wasn't prejudiced by the previous agenda.

How will ICANN operate differently under you and Chairman Vint Cerf than it operated with Mike Roberts and Esther Dyson in charge?

We're at a different point in time at ICANN. They were working through very difficult, controversial times, and they did an outstanding job. Now it's not a question of 'whether' about ICANN, but a question about 'what' and 'how.' We're moving from the early start-up phase to the middle years.

What are the biggest challenges facing ICANN in the next year or two?

The overarching challenge for ICANN is to ensure the stability of the whole addressing and name space arena, and to make sure that's done in a professional, serious manner. Second is to make sure that we are a global organization. We need to internationalize ICANN, and its governance and activiti es. Third is to think through the whole governing structure to make sure we are reflective of the Internet community around the world.

Our readers run large corporate networks, most of which are being built on IP. What is ICANN doing for enterprise users of the Internet to ensure that it is functioning and stable?

Our key challenge is to make sure the domain name system remains stable. We've come out very strongly in favor of a single, authoritative root so there's no confusion. That means companies can reach their customers, and their customers can reach them. Another issue is making sure there's enough address space for the Internet. There are different predictions of when we will run out of IPv4 address space. Our challenge is to ensure a smooth transition to IPv6. The technical issues are being handled at the [Internet Engineering Task Force] level. The policy issues haven't really surfaced in the IPv6 space yet.

It seems like no matter what ICANN does, some constituency is unhappy. What are you doing to make ICANN better accepted across the Internet community?

The problem that you raise is the very nature of ICANN. On any given issue, you can find someone who totally disagrees with what we do and will make [his or her] views known to the press. This happens because we are open, because we're not some closed, secretive organization trying to fashion a point of view before it becomes public. Our job is to determine where the consensus lies on any given issue. Consensus doesn't mean unanimity. We're always going to make people unhappy. The question is have we followed fair, reasonable processes to arrive at the decisions we've made.

Congress held hearings earlier this year about the seemingly ad hoc and arbitrary methods the ICANN board used to select the operators of the seven new generic top-level domains (GTLD). What are you going to do to improve ICANN's decision-making process and create the perception that ICANN is a well-run organization?

I wasn't part of ICANN at the time that decision was made. I wasn't at that meeting, but I understand it was a very chaotic meeting. Since then, I've found the board meetings to be very systematic and orderly. As far as the future is concerned, we are putting together criteria to evaluate the current GTLDs. The problem is that the Internet moves at Internet speed, and the processes that you're talking about move a lot slower. It's an interesting challenge for the board to find the right balance between deliberation and moving things along.

What are you doing to beef up the quality of ICANN's staff?

Recruiting. In the budget approval for this year are four more staff members. Our goal is to reach the approved level of 21 staff in the next few months. We are trying to increase the number of staff who are not U.S.-based. The extra staff will allow us to give better service to our constituencies. Second, we've had an enormous legal burden and want to make that more effective with less reliance on outside professional services. Third, it will enable us to move from a start-up mode with people working 24-7 to a more reasonable schedule and workload.

Can you describe ICANN's relationship with the Bush administration?

Some of the individuals have changed, but we're very pleased to note that the Bush administration continues to give us the support we had from the Clinton administration. We are moving forward on a checklist of tasks outlined in the [memorandum of understanding signed with the Clinton administration in 1998.] We've seen no change in the momentum toward that.

What are you doing to improve ICANN's relationship with the IETF?

We have continual dialogues with the IETF leadership, and in one area we've already made significant improvements, which is in [Internet Assigned Numbers Authority] services to the IETF. ICANN always makes sure it has a person at the IETF meetings. From the point of view of the technical heart of the Internet, that's where it lies. It's critical that ICANN maintain a close relationship with the IETF. Vint Cerf, of course, is elected by that community.

What is your plan for making ICANN more of a global organization?

One of the primary directions there is to start working on agreements with the [country code top-level domain] operators. We need to do much more building of trust between ICANN and the various CCTLDs around the world. I've already been on a couple trips to Europe and Asia, and I'm very pleased with the response I've received. There's some concern by the CCTLD community that the ICANN governance structure should be changed to be more representative of the international community.

How has the global economic slowdown impacted ICANN?

We ha ven't seen it affect us in any way. We've heard that a number of the CCTLDs are concerned about a slowdown in the number of new domain names being registered or renewed. Maybe some people who speculated on names haven't found customers for them. But we still see strong demand from ISPs for address space, and we still see growth in e-commerce. The overall future is very, very bright. Most of us still see the Internet as an incredible opportunity.

New ICANN chief outlines agenda

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