from computerworld.com: The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration will end its formal relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in late 2015, with ICANN developing a new global governance model, the agency said Friday. The NTIA plans to let its contract with ICANN to operate key domain-name functions expire in September 2015, while requiring the organization to develop a new global Internet governance model, NTIA administrator Lawrence Strickling said during a press conference. ICANN has faced growing criticism in recent years about the influence of the U.S. government on its operations, but Strickling and ICANN CEO and President Fadi ChehadA(c) said the decision to end the formal relationship was driven instead by a longtime understanding that the partnership would be temporary. ICANN’s contract with the NTIA to operate the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions dates back to 1999.