|
NSF PR 97-46 - June 24, 1997
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone
numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current
contact information at media
contacts.
Internet Moves toward Privatization
IP Numbers Handled by Non-Profit
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today
an action that moves the Internet toward privatization.
Internet Protocol number assignments will soon be
handled by a non-profit organization.
The NSF has approved a plan from Network Solutions,
Inc. (NSI) which establishes the American Registry
for Internet Numbers (ARIN). Under the plan, ARIN
would assume full responsibility for Internet Protocol
(IP) number assignments and related administrative
tasks previously handled by NSI. The shift, expected
to be fully implemented before March 1998, separates
the assignment of Internet numbers (addresses) used
for Internet routing from domain name registration
activities (which will continue to be handled by Network
Solutions). The move will affect only a relatively
small number of Internet service providers and very
large institutional users -- around 300 last year
-- who obtain their IP assignments directly from NSI.
Most Internet users will be unaffected by the change
and most Internet service providers will continue
to obtain their IP assignments from their providers.
The creation of ARIN is consistent with
the recommendations received from the Internet community
at workshops over the past eighteen months, and with
concurrence from a federal interagency working group.
"This move is another step by the federal government
in the continuing privatization and commercialization
of the Internet," said George Strawn, director of
the Networking and Communications Research and Infrastructure
division at NSF. "The Internet is no longer in its
infancy. It is growing up into a commercially based,
self-regulating entity. NSI should be lauded for aiding
this transition."
The establishment of ARIN is important
for the continued growth and the global stability
of the Internet, Strawn said. ARIN is
patterned after the successful RIPENIC
and APNIC registration activities in
Europe and Asia. Regional registries are also being
created by providers in Latin America and Africa to
assume responsibility for IP number assignment in
those areas. It is anticipated that before long, a
global council of the regional registries may work
together to determine consistent and equitable global
policies for IP allocation and management.
The creation of ARIN will not change
any current policies or procedures for obtaining Internet
numbers. Creation of ARIN will give
the users of IP numbers (mostly Internet service providers,
corporations and other large institutions) a voice
in the policies by which they are managed and allocated
within the North American region.
ARIN is intended to provide Internet
service providers in North America an opportunity
to help develop Internet management policies within
the region and, through ARIN's collaboration
with other regional registries, globally.
Editors: More information about ARIN,
see: http://www.arin.net
NSF is making a transition to new forms of electronic
distribution of news materials. We will eventually
replace the current "listserve" with a new Custom
News Service. From the NSF home page, (URL: http://www.nsf.gov),
you will be able to automatically sign up for and
receive electronic transmissions of all materials
(or those of your own choosing). NSF is an independent
federal agency responsible for fundamental research
in all fields of science and engineering, with an
annual budget of about $3.3 billion. NSF funds reach
all 50 states, through grants to more than 2,000 universities
and institutions nationwide. NSF receives more than
50,000 requests for funding annually, including at
least 30,000 new proposals. Also see NSF news products
at:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/start.htm, http://www.eurekalert.org,
and http://www.ari.net/newswise.
|
