Second IANA Naming Function Review (IFR2)
The ICANN Board approved the IFR2 Team's recommendations at the 14 September 2025 Board meeting.
Work has started to address the four recommendations, as well as the four findings and two comments that were included in the IFR2 Final Report.
As the Board approved the four recommendations subject to prioritization, the four recommendations were presented to the FY27 Planning Prioritization Group (PPG) in late January 2026. The PPG agreed with ICANN’s org recommendation of Priority 1 (the highest priority) for all four recommendations with no objections raised.
Recommendation | Implementation Status | Detailed information on the implementation |
|---|---|---|
#1 The IFRT2 recommends removing specific DNSSEC policy details from the IANA Naming Function Contract (see Annex A, 4 (i) (1)). | In progress |
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#2 The IFRT2 recommends identifying and pointing to the appropriate policy authority for DNSSEC in the IANA Naming Function Contract (see Annex A, 4 (i) (1)). | In progress |
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#3 To improve transparency and to support the next IFRT, the IFRT2 recommends that the Contract, as amended, is made publicly accessible. If this is not possible, the review team suggests providing a clear mapping of which lines have been amended to sit alongside the original Contract. | In progress |
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#4 The IFR2 recommends amending ICANN Bylaws [Article 18,] Section 18.2(b) to read "once every five (5) years, measured from the date that the most recent IFR submits its Final Report to the ICANN Board of Directors. | Complete | On 25 January 2026 the ICANN Board initiated the Fundamental Bylaws Amendment Process. The proposal was posted for Public Comment and received substantial support. Through an online, unanimous approval, in April 2026 the ICANN Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee endorsed the recommendation to the Board to approve the Fundamental Bylaws amendments. At its meeting on 3 May 2026, the Board approved the proposed amendments to Article 18, Section 18.2(b) as posted for public comment, pursuant to Article 25, Section 25.2 of the ICANN Bylaws, and directed the ICANN President and CEO, or his designee(s), to provide support to the Empowered Community to perform its required work under the Fundamental Bylaws Amendment Process. The Empowered Community has considered the Fundamental Bylaws Amendments in the community forum during ICANN86. Following the Empowered Community forum at ICANN86, the approval action decision period started on 12 June and finished on 3 July 2026, endorsing the Bylaws amendments. Amended Bylaws were published on the ICANN site on 3 July 2026. |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The IANA Naming Function Review is an accountability mechanism created as part of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) stewardship transition to ensure that ICANN’s IANA work through Public Technical Identifiers (PTI) meets the needs and expectations of its naming customers. Under the ICANN Bylaws, the ICANN Board must convene an IFR no less frequently than every five years, measured from the date the previous IFR was convened. The board convened the first IFR on 16 September 2018.
The second IFR team (IFR2) will conduct the review in accordance with the scope specified in the ICANN Bylaws. The review focuses on PTI's performance of the IANA naming function against the contractual requirements in the IANA Naming Function Contract and the IANA Naming Function Statement of Work. The naming functions under review include management of the DNS root zone, a critical function for the ongoing operation of the Internet.
The IFR does not replace the work of the Customer Standing Committee (CSC), which reviews PTI's service level performance of the naming function on a monthly basis. The IFR takes a broader look, which includes identifying if the requirements of the Contract still meet the needs of customers, and whether amendments should be considered. The full scope of the review is available in Section 18.3 of the ICANN Bylaws.
USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE IFR2 REVIEW PROCESS
IFR2 meetings and working procedures are open to the public and conducted in a transparent manner to the fullest extent possible. Meeting records and review team working documents were posted to this wiki space.
Archived mails sent to ifr2-team@icann.org may be viewed here.