The US Dept. of Commerce’ll no longer have a direct oversight role over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, responsible for maintaining the Internet's domain name system (DNS) and top-level domain (TLD) registry. Under the new “Affirmation of Commitments” terms released, the United States will maintain a seat on ICANN's Government Advisory Committee, an 109-member league of nations, not all of which actively participate. But that's it. The periodic review process for accountability that ICANN underwent since its establishment by the DOC in 1998, will now shift to what new ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom describes as "an international committee of parties chosen by the chairman of our Governmental Advisory Committee."