*“The transition of the IANA functions to the global multi-stakeholder
community is a serious, groundbreaking, and potentially unalterable
action.”*
*WASHINGTON* - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton
(R-Mich.), U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob
Goodlatte (R-Va.) today, in a letter
<http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwOTA4LjYzNTA1NjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDkwOC42MzUwNTY2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MzQ0NzI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZ1c2VyaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/9b6b37a9-e5a4-4695-931e-73d54b32f768/D453845EFDC860DCC3161346BBCA9C63.20160908-doj-lynch-doc-pritzker-joint-letter-on-iana-transition.pdf>
to
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Commerce Penny
Pritzker, raised numerous concerns about plans for the Obama Administration
to cede authority over the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)
functions managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN) and called for reconsideration of the transition, currently
set to occur on October 1, 2016.
“The transition of the IANA functions to the global multi-stakeholder
community is a serious, groundbreaking, and potentially unalterable
action,” said the four chairmen in the letter to Lynch and Pritzker. “We
have closely examined the arguments for and against the proposed
transition, including concerns about whether the transition could enhance
the role of authoritarian regimes in Internet governance. In particular, we
have heard from witnesses testifying to concerns that important
accountability measures have yet to be fully fleshed out, tested, or
proven, because they will not have been implemented prior to September 30,
2016.”
In addition to concerns about the status of accountability reforms inside
ICANN, the four chairmen also cited recent violations of ICANN’s own bylaws
by board members, questions about the application of anti-trust laws, the
potential for an independent ICANN to move outside the jurisdiction of the
United States, and unfinished work by the non-partisan Government
Accountability Office (GAO) in determining the legal authority for the
federal government to relinquish its current role in IANA functions without
express authorization from Congress.
“There is a broad range of important questions on both law and policy that
remain outstanding with respect to the proposed transfer of the IANA
functions to ICANN and the global multi-stakeholder community. We call on
you to address the questions and concerns detailed above and to reconsider
the Administration’s current plans to transition the IANA functions on
October 1, 2016.”
The IANA functions of the internet include the process for resolving domain
names and helping to keep the internet running smoothly. ICANN, which
manages the IANA functions, currently works under contract for the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency within
the Department of Commerce.
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House
Committee on Energy and Commerce exercise principal jurisdiction over the
Department of Commerce. The Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House
Judiciary Committee exercise jurisdiction over the Department of Justice.
*Click here for a copy of the **letter
<http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwOTA4LjYzNTA1NjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDkwOC42MzUwNTY2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MzQ0NzI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZ1c2VyaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/9b6b37a9-e5a4-4695-931e-73d54b32f768/D453845EFDC860DCC3161346BBCA9C63.20160908-doj-lynch-doc-pritzker-joint-letter-on-iana-transition.pdf>**
from
Thune, Grassley, Upton, and Goodlatte to Lynch and Pritzker.*
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