Experts: ICANN still needs Hill oversight

Even though the U.S. government's grip on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has eased after both sides signed an agreement this week, Congress still has a critical role in ensuring a smoothly functioning Internet, experts said today.

Intellectual property lobbyist Steven Metalitz urged lawmakers at a Capitol Hill briefing to monitor ICANN and weigh in "if something goes wrong with the plumbing."

The pact between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and ICANN, which replaces a multiyear contract that expired Wednesday, requires a vetting of concerns about a plan to bring to market potentially hundreds of new domain names. Metalitz said the proposal, which has already been the focus of hearings, could be a "bonanza for some interests" but dangerous to others. Congress must ensure that ICANN delivers on its pledge, he said.

The domain-name expansion effort, which is expected to begin in early 2010, carries technical and security concerns because the system is already a source of serious vulnerabilities, Metalitz said. "Security and stability should be a primary touchstone. Congress has a role in making sure that remains the case."

The NTIA-ICANN accord sets up a review panel to ensure the continuance of a public database of Web site owners that is regularly used by law enforcement. If compromised, the "Whois" catalog could harm consumer and child protection investigations and accordingly warrants sustained congressional attention, he added.

Brenden Kuerbis of Syracuse University's Internet Governance Project warned the agreement contains design flaws. The review panels that it creates could add "another layer of politics and second guessing ... on what is already a messy and pretty diffuse process," he said. He also warned the "top-down" appointment of experts to serve on the panels could short-circuit ICANN's bottom-up governance mandate.