Dear NCSG-ers:
 
The domain names part of the IANA transition is finally being formed. A draft proposal was released yesterday and it is open for public comment.
 
In my view, this is a big win for accountability. By legally separating the IANA functions operator from ICANN, it will be easier to hold ICANN’s board and staff accountable for the policy making process, and easier to hold the post-transition IANA accountable for its performance of the IANA functions. Lines of responsibility will be more direct, and policy more clearly separated from implementation. 
 
The proposal also promotes accountability by creating a periodic review process that could allow the names community to “fire” the existing IANA if there was great dissatisfaction with its performance. This enhances the accountability sought by the numbers and protocols communities as well as creating separability for the names community for the first time.
 
The legal affiliate structure seems to have found the middle ground in the debate over ICANN’s role in the IANA functions. Although IANA will still be a subsidiary of ICANN, Inc., thus defusing any concerns about creating new organizations, it will have a separate board and a clearer line of demarcation between the politics of ICANN the policy maker and the technical coordination functions provided by the IANA functions operator.
 
You can read the (very long) proposal here:
 
https ://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-04-22-en
 
You can comment on it here:
 
https://www.icann.org/public-comments/cwg-stewardship-draft-proposal-2015-04-22-en