ICANN is holding its 51st public meeting in LA from 12 to 16 October. The meetings, held three times per year around the world, will focus on the future role of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.The meeting will bring together representatives from government, business, civil society, non-governmental organisations, research institutions and others from across the globe.The role of the IANA has been a hot topic, particularly in the US where the political right has been apoplectic in its condemnation of the move by the NTIA to relinquish their stewardship of the IANA functions to the multistakeholder community. The move was announced on 14 March 2014 subject to certain conditions relating to meeting the needs and expectations of the global partners and customers of IANA services, and employing a multistakeholder (rather than a government-only) process.U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will address attendees on Monday morning, October 13 at 8:30AM PT (see details below). The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), a bureau within the U.S. Department of Commerce, announced earlier in the year its desire to transition the stewardship of some key Internet technical functions to the global Internet community.Following the welcoming session, ICANN President and CEO Fadi Chehadé will join Board Chair Dr. Stephen D. Crocker, Global Domains Division President Akram Atallah and Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for North America Chris Mondini in responding to journalists’ questions during an international news conference. They will address a wide range of issues, such as the future of Internet governance, issues surrounding ICANN’s accountability and the status of the New gTLD Program.Journalists from around the world who are unable to attend the Los Angeles meeting are encouraged to participate remotely via a live video web stream or an international toll-free telephone connection. The details for connecting are provided below.A recording of the news conference will be posted to the press page of the ICANN web site (www.icann.org/en/news/press) after the event.To see the full schedule of events and meetings taking place during ICANN 51 in Los Angeles, go to la51.icann.org/en/schedule-full.