Coincidence in the calendar, the "Memorandum of Supporting" (MoU) between the ICANN and the Minister of American Commerce (DoC) expires on September, between the two preparing meetings (PrepCom) of the International Union of Telecommunications on the Information Society. That means if the negotiators were under pressure: while the ICANN worked for the transition ending which should finally allow to a “private entity to prove that it is in conditions of managing properly the technical aspects of Internet” as the DoC recommends in the document, the Governments that are members of the UIT are more and more interested in the political aspect of Internet and they would see well if this “communication disposal” were part of its competition place.

As a paradox, it is for accident in this almost failure, that the ICANN seems, one more time, to get an extension. The united communication of DoC and the Californian organization show that, in fact, “since they have done some significant efforts for getting to the initial objective, the results don’t prove nothing at the expiration of the MoU , fixed on September, 30, 2003 ( the term has already extended for a year several times)”. The solution? To give still more time to ICANN for proving its validity!

It won’t be on September, 2006 when the MoU will be able to renegotiate. Until then, Paul Twomey, the Australian and his new staff ( they named a new Juridical Director, a responsible of gTLDs should go on) will be able to continue their efforts. The US administration message to IUT appears clearly now: Internet is American in first place and the ICANN is the only inter national way we accept to adopt!

JCV & SB