"I can think of no one more prepared to take this role on than Rod Beckstrom," said David Dorman, chairman of Motorola, in a statement.

Beckstrom is the former director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center, where he created a group of leaders from the nation's top six cybersecurity centers comprising the civilian, military and intelligence communities. He has co-authored four books and most recently wrote "The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations," which discusses how organizations can become virtually self-perpetuating, regardless of the status of their leadership.

The selection comes at a time when the Internet is extending its reach in the geopolitical realm. As events unfold around the world, "reporters" from social networking sites chronicle details with lightning speed.

"The importance of the Internet as a free-flowing source of information is being underscored right now by the events in Iran. It shows the power of human expression through a free and open Net," said Beckstrom in a statement.

"The Internet has changed the way the world communicates and conducts commerce. And in no small way, this multi-stakeholder, bottom-up organization has been and will continue to be at the core of the Internet's ongoing evolution. Quite simply, the proof that ICANN works is that the Internet works," Beckstrom said.