Obama Wants To Hand ICAAN Over to a World Body of Governments, Businesses, and Technical Experts

Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers

First, what is ICAAN?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN /ˈaɪkæn/ eye-kan) is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the Internet - thereby ensuring the network's stable and secure operation.[1] 

ICANN performs the actual technical maintenance work of the central Internet address pools and DNS Root registries pursuant to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) function contract. 

Much of its work has concerned the Internet's global Domain Name System, including policy development for internationalization of the DNS system, introduction of new generic top-level domains (TLDs), and the operation of root name servers. 

The numbering facilities ICANN manages include the Internet Protocol address spaces for IPv4 and IPv6, and assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries. 

ICANN also maintains registries of Internet protocol identifiers. ICANN's primary principles of operation have been described as helping preserve the operational stability of the Internet; to promote competition; to achieve broad representation of the global Internet community; and to develop policies appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes.[2] 

ICANN was created on September 18, 1998, and incorporated on September 30, 1998 in the state of California.[3] It is headquartered in the Playa Vista neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles.

TheHill: Changing who controls ICANN jeopardizes our presidential election9/20/2016
Opposition gets facts wrong on ICANN’s security committee and the IANA transition 9/21/2016
FinancialNews: Uniregistry, The Grid partner to bring suite of domain names to internet website builders 9/22/2016
Uniregistry is an ICANN-accredited domain name services company, providing tools for purchasing, managing and monetizing domain names. Under a new five-year agreement, Uniregistry is the exclusive partner for providing users of The Grid with …

EndGadget: Democrats slam Republicans fighting the internet handover 9/21/2016 

International Chamber of Commerce:
ICC: Transition key Internet technical functions to multistakeholder community without delay 9/21/2016 Paris

CNET: Why US internet controls became a political battlefield (FAQ)