[Internal-cg] how collaboration works today between the OCs

Lynn St.Amour Lynn at LStAmour.org
Wed Sep 30 19:39:51 UTC 2015


Please find attached the suggested text for action item:

10) St. Amour, Gerich, and Fältström to summarize how collaboration works today between the OCs.

Our task was to summarize how collaboration works today between the OCs.  In doing so, we recognized that the 3 OC model had not really been elaborated on in the ICG's proposal and as that was the basic underpinning, we tried to cover both. 

Our current thinking is that in Part 0 a new section after paragraph 01 could be useful.  Basically, a high level model introduction (although Part 0 is evolving quite significantly and there may be a better place).

The text below is based on RFC 2860, SAC-067, and the Internet Organizations (I*) Shared Resource document at https://www.internetsociety.org/sites/default/files/is-internetresources-201308-en.pdf .   Note: the text below would need to incorporate appropriate references. 

There has been a significant level of discussion on this amongst the group members.  Elise has some concerns and we agreed to highlight that fact to the ICG as part of our review.  I will leave it to Elise to share those concerns if they have still not been adequately addressed..   

<start>

The Internet’s incredible growth and success has been due in large part to its shared global ownership, use of open standards, and freely accessible processes for technology and policy development.  The smooth operation of the Internet depends upon a global, collaborative and community-driven approach to managing key shared resources. 

Some of the most important shared resources are Internet Protocol addresses, Domain Names/DNS Root Zone Management, and Protocol Parameters.    Taken together these are referred to as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Function. 

The IANA Functions Operator (IFO) performs a set of administrative coordinating services, under policy direction from 3 Operating Communities (OCs), for many of the identifiers that allow the global Internet to operate.  The three “operational communities” (OCs) are: the domain names community (organized around ICANN’s supporting organizations and advisory committees); the number resources community (organized around the regional address registries or RIRs); and the protocol parameters community (organized around the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)).

The identifiers are:

1) Domain Name System (DNS) Root Zone; 
2) Internet Numbers Registry;
3) Protocol Parameter Registry, including the “Address and Routing Parameter Area” (.ARPA) TLD;
4) INTernational treaty organizations (.INT) top-level domain.

The services above are performed under a number of independent operational agreements between the Operating Communities (OC) and ICANN (as the current IANA Functions Operator), as well as under a contract between ICANN and the USG Department of Commerce given their stewardship role over these functions.

It is important to note that the Policy and many of the Oversight responsibilities for these tasks lie with the operational communities and not the IANA Functions Operator (IFO), hence they do not form part of the IFO's responsibilities.  

-- Policies are defined as "the agreed upon rules developed through community-based processes by which shared Internet resources are managed".   
-- Oversight here is defined as "to ensure policies and implementation are aligned and promote the coherent long-term development and use of shared Internet resources."   
-- Implementation of such shared Internet resources (i.e. IANA Functions) should be "in a neutral and responsible manner, guided by the relevant policy and oversight processes".

Community specific (and community defined) global policy development and oversight processes exist in the OCs as part of their responsibilities for ensuring the continued smooth operation of the global Internet.  A web of relationships exists between these OCs, and the relationships and mechanisms evolve as needed.  This transition proposal was developed by the 3 OCs, and existing coordination mechanisms were used to ensure its overall coherence.  

Coordination across the OCs is clearly an essential component to the Internet's successful development, and collaboration is an integral part of the OCs operating and policy development processes.   In the specific case of the IANA Functions, each community has clearly restated their ongoing commitment to cooperation.  That commitment to cooperate has led to the situation we have today, where nearly all registries are with the IANA Functions Operator (at ICANN) even though the operational and policy decisions for where these registries will be located, and how they will be run, is decentralized.

<end>

This could be further edited or split if it fits better elsewhere.   We look forward to the ICG's comments.

Best,
Lynn, Patrik, Elise





More information about the Internal-cg mailing list