The future of Internet governance: should the U.S. relinquish Its authority over ICANN?

How ICANN and the Internet domain name system are ultimately governed may set an important precedent in future policy debates over how the Internet should be governed, and what role governments and intergovernmental organizations should play. Overview Currently, the U.S. government retains limited authority over the Internet’s domain name system, primarily through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). By virtue of the IANA functions contract, the NTIA exerts a legacy authority and stewardship over ICANN, and arguably has more influence over ICANN and the domain name system (DNS) than other national governments. On March 14, 2014, NTIA announced the intention to transition its stewardship role and procedural authority over key Internet domain name functions to the global Internet multistakeholder community. To accomplish this transition, NTIA has asked ICANN to convene interested global Internet stakeholders to develop a transition proposal. NTIA has stated that it will not accept any transition proposal that would replace the NTIA role with a government-led or an intergovernmental organization solution. Currently, Internet stakeholders are engaged in a series of working groups to develop a transition proposal. Their goal is to submit a final proposal to NTIA by summer 2015. NTIA must approve the proposal in order for it to relinquish its authority over the IANA functions contract. While the IANA functions contract expires on September 30, 2015, NTIA has the flexibility to extend the contract for any period through September 2019. Concerns have risen in Congress over the proposed transition. Critics worry that relinquishing U.S. authority over Internet domain names may offer opportunities for either hostile foreign governments or intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations, to gain undue influence over the Internet. On the other hand, supporters argue that this transition completes the necessary evolution of Internet domain name governance towards the private sector, and will ultimately support and strengthen the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. Legislation has been introduced in the 113th and 114th Congresses which would prevent, delay, or impose conditions or additional scrutiny on the transition. In the 113th Congress, a provision in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) provides that during FY2015, NTIA may not use any appropriated funds to relinquish its responsibility with respect to Internet domain name system functions. In the 114th Congress, H.R. 805 (the DOTCOM Act of 2015) would prohibit NTIA from relinquishing its authority over the Internet domain name system until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) submits a report to Congress examining the implications of the proposed transfer. The proposed transition could have a significant impact on the future of Internet governance. National governments are recognizing an increasing stake in ICANN and DNS policy decisions, especially in cases where Internet DNS policy intersects with national laws and interests related to issues such as intellectual property, cybersecurity, privacy, and Internet freedom. How ICANN and the Internet domain name system are ultimately governed may set an important precedent in future policy debates—both domestically and internationally—over how the Internet should be governed, and what role governments and intergovernmental organizations should play

Coping With Parental Guilt

Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt

Error Bounds and Holder Metric Subregularity

The Holder setting of the metric subregularity property of set-valued mappings between general metric or Banach/Asplund spaces is investigated in the framework of the theory of error bounds for extended real-valued functions of two variables. A classification scheme for the general Holder metric subregularity criteria is presented. The criteria are formulated in terms of several kinds of primal and subdifferential slopes.Comment: 32 pages. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1405.113

Reclaiming our Assumptions at the Intersection of Technology, Learning and Equity

Educatio

A Good Age

The difference between a dream and reality, in many cases, is a simple but difficult thing, hard work. In the following pages, Bert Kruger Smith chronicles the efforts of one very determined group of people in converting their dream into reality. Her story is an important one for at least two reasons. First is its message that amazing things are possible if you just believe hard enough, work hard enough, and endure. Its second lesson, however, may be the more important. I believe that the Austin Groups for the Elderly history reminds us that it is still possible to find creative solutions to difficult problems. It underscores the ability that people have to face a crisis and convert it into a vision. And the crisis that the founders of AGE faced is not a unique one, nor is the solution one applicable only to agencies serving the elderly. Indeed, if anything, all those who are attempting to deliver services in this time of such great need and so little plenty should study carefully the efforts of these dedicated people. As I read the AGE story, I thought of the old song "High Hopes." It is very easy nowadays to dwell on the negative, to mourn the unchangeable "way things are," and forget that "high in the sky, apple pie hopes" still can make differences. Austin is a better place in which to live, and, even better, in which to grow old because of Austin Groups for the Elderly.Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

[Excerpt] Firefighting activities are traditionally the responsibility of states and local communities. As such, funding for firefighters is provided mostly by state and local governments. During the 1990s, shortfalls in state and local budgets, coupled with increased responsibilities of local fire departments, led many in the fire community to call for additional financial support from the federal government. Although federally funded training programs existed (and continue to exist) through the National Fire Academy, and although federal money was available to first responders for counterterrorism training and equipment through the Department of Justice, there did not exist a dedicated program, exclusively for firefighters, which provided federal money directly to local fire departments to help address a wide variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related needs

Help Without Price: Community Mental Health Program

Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt

Grandparenting In Today's World

Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt

Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program

[Excerpt] In response to concerns over the adequacy of firefighter staffing, the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Act—popularly called the “SAFER Act”—was enacted by the 108th Congress as Section 1057 of the FY2004 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 108-136). The SAFER Act authorizes grants to career, volunteer, and combination local fire departments for the purpose of increasing the number of firefighters to help communities meet industry-minimum standards and attain 24-hour staffing to provide adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. Also authorized are grants to volunteer fire departments for activities related to the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The SAFER grant program is authorized through FY2010. Concern over local fire departments’ budgetary problems have framed debate over the SAFER reauthorization, which is included in S. 550, the Fire Grants Authorization Act of 2011(introduced on March 10, 2011). Previously in the 111th Congress, reauthorization legislation for SAFER was passed by the House, but was not passed by the Senate. As part of the reauthorization debate, Congress may consider whether some SAFER rules and restrictions governing the hiring grants should be permanently eliminated or altered in order to make it economically feasible for more fire departments to participate in the program