[Abstract]

Authors: Hans Klein and Milton MuellerControversies over ICANN led to the creation of the Working Group on Internet Governance, but so far there have been few specific proposals for change. The Internet Governance Project announces a new policy paper: “What to Do About ICANN: A Proposal for Structural Reform.” The proposal, by Hans Klein and Milton Mueller, addresses the criticisms that have been made of ICANN, including unilateral U.S. oversight, the exercise of governmental powers without corresponding mechanisms for accountability, and a lack of legitimacy. Three structural reforms are proposed: 1) Create an international oversight body to replace US oversight of ICANN and ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee; 2) restore ICANN’s global Board elections; 3) Give ccTLD managers and Internet Protocol address users a choice of governance arrangements by sharing responsibility for the Internet root zone between ICANN and the ITU.Suggested citation: Hans Klein and Milton Mueller, “What to Do About ICANN: A Proposal for Structural Reform” (April 5, 2005). Internet Governance Project. Paper IGP05-002. Available at https://www.internetgovernance.org/pdf/igp-icannreform.pdf