The US government has issued a tender for the operation of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a contract currently held by ICANN, and who is likely to again win the tender.The new contract will require the winner to improve in the areas of transparency, independence and accountability, and is limited to bids from US companies.According to an IDG report, “the contractor will have to provide documented evidence of ‘how the process provided the opportunity for input from relevant stakeholders and was supportive of the global public interest.'””The new also document includes clear and binding provisions on conflict of interest. The next IANA contractor will have to take measures to avoid any activity or situation that could compromise the impartial and objective performance of the contract.”The next IANA contractor will have to take measures to avoid any activity or situation that could compromise, or give the appearance of compromising, the impartial and objective performance of the contract. They will also have to maintain a written and sanctionable conflict of interest policy covering both potential and actual conflicts based on personal relationships or bias, financial gain, employment and post-employment activities. Penalties can include dismissal of the IANA contractor.The European Commission has welcomed the improvements in the new IANA contract, which they claim includes a number of their suggested changes.”The new IANA tender is a clear step forward for global internet governance. A more transparent, independent and accountable management of the Internet domain names and other resources will reinforce the Internet’s role as a global resource,” said Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda.The Commission has long maintained that a strict conflict of interest policy will markedly improve the quality of the decision-making processes of the next IANA contractor.Furthermore, following Commission demands, the draft contract states that when introducing new Top-Level Domains (such as dot.museum or dot.movie), or modifying existing ones, the next IANA contractor will have to provide specific documentation demonstrating how the underlying decision-making process was supportive of the public interest.The Commission believes greater respect should be given by the IANA contractor to respecting applicable law (such as EU personal data protection laws). The Commission will continue to take the initiative for such provisions in future IANA contracts as part of its efforts to ensure sustainable multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet, in the service of public interest, as a matter of both principle and efficient practice. In that context, it noted with regret that non-US companies are not allowed to compete for the forthcoming IANA contract.The IANA functions have historically included:
(1) the coordination of the assignment of technical Internet protocol parameters;
(2) the administration of certain responsibilities associated with Internet DNS root zone management;
(3) the allocation of Internet numbering resources; and
(4) other services related to the management of the .ARPA and .INT top-level domains.And according to the IDG report, “The anticipated period of the new contract is April 2012 to March 2015. The closing date for receipt of proposals is 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Dec. 12.”