I just skimmed through ICANN's supporting documents. They seem rather naive regarding the steps that would be required to obtain the desired status *and* remain US based. It seems that it would require both an act of Congress (or a treaty) and a Presidential declaration. Given that ICANN has shown itself to be a body that regulates business practices, largely for the protection of trademark owners, and does nothing to ensure technical stability to the community of internet users that ICANN could, and considering its poor reputation, probably would have to jump a considerable hurdle to obtain these necessary legislative and executive approvals. There is nothing that ICANN's existing governmental patron, NTIA, could do to lubricate this process. The best course for achieving the desired legitimacy and status is to consistently do good things over a long period of time. That's how the Red Cross did it - it started private and the international recognition was endowed as a result of its good work over many years. ICANN has done few good acts and those it has done have not been the result of a consistent policy designed to benefit the community of internet users as a whole rather than a few selected industrial interests. At best ICANN is looking at the first step of a very long, very steep (uphill) road. And as Wendy S. points out, ICANN has not earned the kind of public trust that would allow it to smothly pass the numerous check points and obsticles that it will encounter if it tries to do this; instead there will be many people and many groups who will raise serious issues whether ICANN is qualified for this kind of status.