The RIPE NCC has been providing DNS root name service via k.root-servers.net since 1997. As the global Internet community considers changes to the NTIA oversight of key DNS functions, the RIPE NCC wishes to assure the Internet community that our commitment to providing this service and to coordinating appropriately with ICANN and the other root server operators will not be affected by the outcome of these discussions.
The RIPE NCC is a not-for-profit membership association under Dutch law. It is governed by its General Meeting and Executive Board, and is guided by the RIPE community. Root name servers are a crucial part of the Internet DNS infrastructure and the RIPE NCC's role in this area is supported by the membership for the benefit of the global Internet community.
In an open letter to ICANN in 2009, the RIPE NCC affirmed our mutual commitment to coordination of our DNS root name service operations, acknowledging that a single, unique DNS root is paramount to the stable operations of the Internet and to ensuring global reachability.
We remain committed to the principles expressed in this letter, and will continue working to operationalise them, independent of changes to the IANA stewardship.
More information about RIPE NCC's operation of K-root is available at: http://k.root-servers.org/