The Urge To Not Merge
At ICANN's recent meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, ICANN CEO Dr. Twomey ruled out the possibility of merging with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). As previously reported, the ITU's Secretary-General made explicit his organization's interest in taking over technical internet management functions now performed by ICANN.

Reports in the news media suggested that the ITU's apparent agenda could result in the IANA database being split into two distinct administrations; a situation which could cause many problems but solve none. One theoretical way in which the ITU's goals could be accomplished without splitting the database would be for the ITU to merge with ICANN. However, Dr. Twomey has wisely ruled out such an imprudent move.

As reported by AllAfrica.com, Dr. Twomey stated that extending ICANN's mandate "could do irreparable harm to it and Internet governance in the future..." Furthermore, the ICANN CEO "dismissed any chance of a merger between ICANN and the International Telecommunications Union..."

Dr. Twomey also hinted that the ITU was not an appropriate body to manage many internet issues by stating that, "It must be understood that the ITU was created in the guise of classical telecommunications framework of agreements between governments. However, the Internet is built on the co-operation of about 200 000 computer networks."

The ICANN CEO is clearly correct that a merger between ICANN and the ITU should not take place. However, the larger issue of how the technical management of internet will be handled in the future remains a topic of lively debate.