The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is
responsible for overseeing the Internet's Top Level Domains (TLDs). ICANN is
a not for profit organization, and its main responsibilities surround IP
address space allocation, domain name system management, root server system
management functions and other related administrative functions that were
performed by the U.S. government and other organizations via contract prior
to the establishment of ICANN. Formed in 1998 after a call from the US
government to establish a not for profit organization to oversee the
Internet's functionality (the Internet began as a research used by the US
government), the company operates on a budget of approximately six to eight
million dollars (USD) per year.
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Every company that provides genuine TLD registration services (that is, the
official registry-level registration of .com, .net and.org domains) is
required to be reviewed and approved by ICANN. Each company that applies to
become an ICANN-approved registrar is subjected to a fairly rigorous
application process; companies and sites that do not explicitly state
they have are an ICANN-approved registrar are simply reselling the services
of a company that has received approval.
ICANN also has an important role in the Internet community, as virtually
anything it legislates or regulates effect most Web sites in one way or
another. Some of the organization's other objectives include preserving the
Internet's operational stability; promoting competition (ICANN introduced a
multi-registrar system in 1999), and achieving broad global representation
and to developing policy through private-sector, consensus-based means.
According to the ICANN Web site, the organization "is perhaps the foremost
example of collaboration by the various constituents of the Internet
community - individuals and organizations, entrepreneurs and educators,
corporate enterprises and non-profit advocacy groups."
ICANN is also key to the resolution of domain name registration disputes, as
it is the organization responsible for designing and implementing the
Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (popularly known as the
"UDRP"). This policy governs the procedures followed by all domain name
registrars in the event of a dispute between two parties over a registered
domain name. And contrary to popular belief, ICANN is not the same
organization as Network Solutions (NSI), which was the sole company
responsible for top level domain name registrations between 1993 and 1999
per a U.S. government contract. NSI is now one of about 160 ICANN-approved
domain name registrars.
The company is organized in to several parts and is overseen by a larger
board. However, ICANN's current structure is under review as it tries to
re-invent itself as a more flexible organization; the firm has been a
target of criticism from some within the Internet community that claim
ICANN does not properly perform the job it was created to do.
For more information about ICANN, visit the organization's Web site at icann.org.
