ICANN

["Alex Simonelis" <asimonelis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

President Bush,

ICANN, in its Strategic Plan (Nov., 2004), clearly states its goal of becoming 
a "stand-alone entity" by 2007.

ICANN, and its IANA, coordinate and regulate the DNS namespace and IP address 
space, both of which are essential foundations of the Internet, and the 
Internet has become a vital component of the world's infrastructure. It is 
essential that the U.S. government maintain its oversight of ICANN in order to 
ensure the stability and correct functioning of the Internet; specifically:
-ICANN's basis in law is provided by the mandate granted to ICANN by the U.S. 
government through its Department of Commerce;
-a corporation as important as ICANN must be overseen by and accountable to a 
democratic, open, capable body such as the U.S. government;
-the practical, global consequences of a stand-alone ICANN that functions 
improperly, whether due to internal or external causes, are intolerable.

I urge you to continue to ensure the stability and correct functioning of the 
Internet by maintaining your government's oversight of ICANN indefinitely.

Regards,
Alex Simonelis
Computer Science Department
Dawson College
Montreal, Canada