Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is an organisation that oversees IP address and Internet protocol code point allocations. IANA was formerly one man, the late Jon Postel.

IANA delegates local registrations to Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) namely:

• APNIC
• RIPE
• ARIN

IANA is under the control of ICANN.

On January 28, 2003 the United States Department of Commerce, via the Acquistion and Grants Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, issued a notice of intent to grant ICANN control of IANA for up to three more years. It invited alternative offerors to submit in writing a detailed response on how they could meet the requirements themselves. Such responses were to be received no later than 10 days following publication of the invitation and the decision on whether to open the "tender" to competition was to remain solely within the discretion of the government.