LOS ANGELES - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) published the results of the Annual Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions Customer Engagement Survey, which measures external stakeholders' satisfaction with their interactions with the IANA team, according to the official website of the Corporation.

ICANN engaged Echo Research, a global reputation consultancy, to conduct this year's annual engagement survey. The survey reached a diverse group of IANA customers and stakeholders across key IANA functional areas. Among them were community leaders of the Regional Internet Registries (RIR) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), members of the Customer Standing Committee (CSC) and Country Code and Generic Names Supporting Organizations (ccNSO and gNSO), and Trusted Community Representatives (TCR). Those who operate top-level domains and root servers were also invited to participate.

Participants were asked to rate IANA across several key attributes: credibility, transparency, attentiveness, fairness, timeliness, and accountability. Each statement was rated on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) in terms of satisfaction. The results continue to reflect high satisfaction overall, consistent with previous years. However, operations customers rated IANA slightly lower in its ability to effectively communicate its mission and plans for achieving it. Among community leaders, there was an increase in satisfaction across all areas, with notable improvements in the timeliness with which the IANA team addressed escalated concerns.

"While we're pleased with our overall results, there are opportunity areas highlighted in the feedback from generic top-level domains (gTLD) operators regarding innovation, and from the GNSO Council on fairness," said Kim Davies, VP of IANA and President of the Public Technical Identifiers (PTI). He added: "We believe that our ongoing programs on improving Root Zone Management and preparation for the upcoming Next Round of gTLDs will provide valuable opportunities to collaborate with these community groups and enhance their perceptions."

For the second year, community members attending IANA-led sessions during ICANN Public Meetings and other industry events were invited to take a briefer version of the survey. They were asked to suggest topics they want to explore in future engagements with IANA. Several key themes from 2023 re-emerged in 2024, including a focus on emerging technologies, the security and stability of unique identifiers, and the importance of considering environmental factors in future engagement planning. This year's survey also highlighted concerns around the challenges of IPv6 adoption. Participants were then asked for their views on IANA's strategic direction. While traditional IANA stakeholder groups continued to emphasize the importance of innovation and agility, particularly in system enhancements, those outside the direct customer base called for greater capacity development, especially regarding raising awareness of IANA's role within the broader Internet ecosystem.

"The feedback we received through the open-ended questions provides us with useful insights," noted Davies. "It not only validates the focus areas we've outlined in IANA's next five-year strategic plan, but it also helps us tailor our engagement initiatives to better meet the specific needs of each stakeholder group."