Lawrence E. Strickling the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator seems to have backed off the statement he made last Friday, that the US was ready to let ICANN go out of United States control.

In an announcement he made today Stickling said:

Our announcement has led to some misunderstanding about our plan with some individuals raising concern that the U.S. government is abandoning the Internet.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

This announcement in no way diminishes our commitment to preserving the Internet as an engine for economic growth and innovation.

We will continue to advocate for U.S. interests and an open Internet through our role on ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and in other international venues including the Internet Governance Forum.

We have been clear throughout this process that any transition plan must meet the conditions of supporting the multistakeholder process and protecting the security, stability and resiliency of the Internet. 

I have emphasized that we will not accept a proposal that replaces NTIA’s role with a government-led or an inter-governmental solution.

Until the community comes together on a proposal that meets these conditions, we will continue to perform our current stewardship role.

We look forward to a spirited discussion from the global multistakeholders as they begin discussions on the transition plan at the ICANN meeting in Singapore next week.

I am confident that the global community will ultimately develop a thoughtful and appropriate transition plan that the U.S. Government will fully embrace.