The U.S. Government will soon relinquish the authority it still holds over one of the internet's most important systems -- running the internet protocol network and the assigning of Web addresses and domains.

Until 1998, the U.S. Department of Commerce handled the administration of these core functions of the web, after which the department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) created the non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to administer the web's Domain Name System, according to Forbes.

Since then, ICANN has handled the basics behind how the internet's Domain Name System (DNS) works. DNS is a system where web addresses are assigned to internet protocol (IP) addresses -- the numeric designations for all devices and servers connected to the internet (e.g., you may be familiar with the "192.168.1.1" IP address, common for home WiFi routers). DNS is what makes the web what it is: for example, instead of typing a bunch of hard-to-remember numbers to reach a website like Latin Post, you just need to remember the name LatinPost.com.

ICANN currently keeps track of that. But now NTIA is telling ICANN to convene stakeholders worldwide to develop a transition from the U.S. Government-contracted ICANN to a new, non-U.S. centered approach to internet administration. The current contract with ICANN expires in Sept. 2015, so internet organizations with a stake in maintaining internet governance have until then to organize a new, globally inclusive, way to do it. This transition is the final part of a process begun under the Clinton administration in 1997.

"The timing is right to start the transition process," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Lawrence E. Strickling in the NTIA's announcement. "We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan."

International critics of ICANN and the U.S. Government's involvement in the governance of the internet are pleased at the idea of taking the nuts and bolts administration functions out of the U.S.'s hands for good, according to the Washington Post.

Revelations beginning in 2013 of the National Security Agency's global surveillance powers may have something to do with that, but according to WaPo, there has also been a growing disgruntlement over ICANN's handling of domains as the internet has expanded. "This is a step in the right direction to resolve important international disputes about how the Internet is governed," said Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge, to the Washington Post. Verizon stated, "A successful transition in the stewardship of these important functions to the global multi-stakeholder community would be a timely and positive step in the evolution of Internet governance." However, some, like former U.S. Rep. Newt Gingrich, expressed concern over the U.S. Government relinquishing its control.

ICANN is currently best known for the sometimes-controversial expansion of generic top level domains (gTLDs), or the "com, org, or net" that comes after the dot. In an effort to foster shorter web addresses, as the internet continually expands, ICANN has presided over the addition of thousands of new gTLDs, like ".Uno" for Spanish speakers, ".photography" for photo buffs, but also more controversial ones, like ".sucks."

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