ICANN Unanimously Approves Reform Plan

The board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers voted unanimously on Friday to approve a proposed blueprint for the reform and reorganization of the nonprofit group that oversees basic technical matters related to the Internet.

"The vote was 18 to zero by the board; there wasn't any controversy. The board feels very strongly that this is the right way to go. It's a major step forward," said ICANN president and chef executive officer M. Stuart Lynn in a telephone news conference held after the meeting. One member of the board, Jonathan Cohen, did not attend the meeting or vote on the matter.

The vote by ICANN, headquartered in Marina del Rey, California, closed its meeting in Bucharest, Romania, begun on Monday.

ICANN was created in 1998 by the U.S. to oversee the Domain Name System and operates under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is due to expire on September 30.

Feeling the Pressure

As the deadline for renewal looms, ICANN has been under increasing political pressure from the U.S. Congress and the White House to streamline its operating procedures if it wants the Commerce Department to extend the agreement.

The reform blueprint calls for ICANN to, among other measures, reduce the number of board members from 18 to 15, to replace at-large elections for some board members with selections by a nominating committee made up of a variety of constituencies and to create an Office of Ombudsman.

The next round of ICANN meetings will be held in Shanghai, on October 27-31.