Beckstrom unfazed by challenges at ICANN

When Rod Beckstrom accepted the top job at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers last week, a former Homeland Security Department colleague warned him that his tenure as director of the National Cybersecurity Center was a walk in the park compared to being CEO of the nonprofit group that oversees the Internet address system.

"I hope you enjoy jumping out of frying pan and into the fire," the colleague said in an e-mail. But the Silicon Valley entrepreneur, author and computer security expert says he is ready for the challenge.

ICANN has faced intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill as it prepares to end its formal relationship with the Commerce Department in September. Lawmakers and industry stakeholders have raised concerns about the international entity's transparency, accountability, budget processes and stakeholder affairs.

Most recently, a chorus of lawmakers called for an extension of the U.S. government's formal role and closer scrutiny over how the 11-year-old organization has evolved.

At a House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee hearing this month, ICANN's departing CEO Paul Twomey came under intense questioning, while Internet executives voiced an array of concerns.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said ICANN was "far from a model of effective and sustainable self-governance." Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., said ICANN seemed "better at furthering its own interests than those of the millions of Internet users it's supposed to look out for."

ICANN's planned introduction of new top-level domains -- such as .biz, .info, and .us -- has raised eyebrows.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Marriott, Nike and Verizon have complained that adding hundreds of new domains could exacerbate cyber-squatting, fraud and overall confusion in the Internet marketplace. ICANN plans to begin accepting applications for new domains in early 2010, which could bring in an initial $90 million for ICANN and steep renewal fees.

"This is going to be a hard job," Beckstrom said in a telephone interview Friday from Sydney, Australia, hours before ICANN's board approved him. "Members of this community care passionately about their positions, and they have lots of differences about those positions." That excitement reflects how important ICANN is as a global forum for Internet governance, added Beckstrom.

Beckstrom said his time at Homeland Security, as well as a stint as a member of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's senior advisory panel, gave him "a great appreciation for how Washington works and how to get things accomplished constructively." He said he hopes to use that expertise to build "an excellent and productive relationship" with Congress, federal agencies and the White House.

The timing of Beckstrom's appointment coincides with the assembling of the Obama administration's Internet team.

The Senate Thursday confirmed Julius Genachowski as chairman of the FCC and Larry Strickling as head of the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. On the same day, Gross' successor at State, Jenner & Block attorney Philip Verveer, had his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said Beckstrom's background in cybersecurity and his experience as an entrepreneur will be an asset as ICANN "continues to promote competition and enhance the stability and security of the global Internet."

The member of the Senate Commerce Committee said she looks forward to working with him to make ICANN "a more stable, accountable, transparent, and independent organization."