The Number Resource Organization (NRO) is the coalition of Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) which operate in
the world today. The NRO is an organization representing the collective experience of individual RIRs and their communities. While
the prime subject of its work are matters of joint interest relating to Internet numbering resources, the NRO provides an efficient
interface to other parties interested in these issues. As the Internet continues to evolve, the NRO will ensure continuity of the
operational infrastructure of Internet number resource allocation.
The RIRs are responsible for distribution of Internet Number Resources [IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System
Numbers]. These number resources are the most fundamental of the identifiers on which the Internet relies: the Internet can
operate without domain names; but it cannot operate without numbers. The RIRs have carried the responsibilities associated with
managing these critical resources collectively for over 10 years, since well before the start of ICANN. This has been done very
effectively through the entire "modern history" of today's Internet which includes both the "dot com boom" and the "dot com
bust."
The RIRs have participated in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) processes for over a year, including
regional Prepcoms and the Summit itself. This is probably longer than any other Internet organization. The RIRs have attended as
observers, and as subject matter experts with a genuine aim to assist in debates and discussions around issues related to Internet
Number Resources in general and to IP addresses in particular.
The RIRs participated in the WSIS Phase I process as full supporters of ICANN as the model which represents not only the
fundamental and critical aspects of Internet development to date, but also the means of community self-regulation to administer and
manage Internet Number Resources. It must be understood that this is not given by the RIRs as mere components of ICANN, dependent
upon it for support; but rather as independent components of the broader Internet administrative framework which ICANN itself is
intended to support.
In the second round of WSIS, the NRO speaking for the collective RIRs will assert an active role vis-à-vis ICANN in order to
aid that organization to address the genuine questions that it faces. The principle of these issues within the WSIS context is that
of the independence and genuine internationalization of ICANN.
Therefore the NRO calls on ICANN to continue its work in this area, not by building a multinational organization, but rather by
including and gaining the genuine support of its significant base of core stakeholders, namely those in the DNS, IP address, and
protocol communities. Furthermore, the NRO calls on ICANN to work with the US Government to demonstrate a genuine and unambiguous
plan for its independence and to commit to this plan before the conclusion of the second phase of the WSIS.
Finally, the NRO rejects any concept of an alternative Internet administrative model located within any governmental or
intergovernmental structure. The NRO acknowledges that there is a valid role for governments in the administration of the Internet
but this must be in the context of the current model. There is a need for the continual improvement of the current model of
industry self-regulation to the extent that the ultimate solution may look little like today's ICANN.
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Upcoming Events
INET/IGC 2004 will be held in Barcelona, Spain, May 10-14, 2004. INET, which is the annual conference of the Internet
Society (ISOC), will this time be held jointly with Spain's Internet Global Congress (IGC). For more information,
visit: http://www.isoc.org/inet04/
The North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG) will meet in San Francisco, May 23-25, 2004. For more information see:
http://nanog.org/
The South Asian Network Operators Group (SANOG) will meet 23-30 July, 2004 in Kathmandu, Nepal. More info at:
http://www.sanog.org/
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 19-23, 2004, and
in Cape Town, South Africa, December 1-5, 2004. For more information see:
http://www.icann.org
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) will meet in San Diego, CA, August 1-6, 2004 and in Washington, DC, November
7-12, 2004. For more information, visit: http://ietf.org
The Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies (APRICOT) will be held Feburary 16-25, 2005 in
Kyoto, Japan and February 15-24, 2006 in Bangalore, India. For more information visit:
http://www.apricot.net/
Ole J. Jacobsen , Editor and Publisher
Dr. Vint Cerf , Sr. VP, Architecture and Technology
MCI, USA
Dr. Jon Crowcroft , Marconi Professor of Communications Systems
University of Cambridge, England
David Farber
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Peter Löthberg , Network Architect
Stupi AB, Sweden
Dr. Jun Murai , Professor, WIDE Project
Keio University, Japan
Dr. Deepinder Sidhu , Professor, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, University of
Maryland, Baltimore County Director, Maryland Center for Telecommunications Research, USA
Pindar Wong , Chairman and President
VeriFi Limited, Hong Kong
The Internet Protocol Journal is published quarterly by the Chief Technology Office, Cisco Systems, Inc.
www.cisco.com
Tel: +1 408 526-4000
E-mail: ipj@cisco.com
Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the USA and certain other
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Copyright © 2003 Cisco Systems Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.