Is like killing two birds with one stone On Thursday, September 8, 2016, Sam Lanfranco <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > With the U.S. Federal election two months away, several weeks after the > planned IANA transition, > these moves might be designed for partisan political advantage in the last > two or three weeks leading up to the election. > It is not hard to speculate about strategies to knock off two birds (a > candidate and the transition) with one move. > Even if the U.S. Senate and House do nothing, the transition process and > the election can be seriously impacted here, > especially by a well timed and well orchestrated media campaign. Hopefully > such choppy waters do not materialize. > > Sam L. > > On 9/8/2016 3:11 PM, Sonigitu Ekpe wrote: > > *“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.* > > > > > > -- > ------------------------------------------------ > "It is a disgrace to be rich and honoured > in an unjust state" -Confucius > 邦有道,贫且贱焉,耻也。邦无道,富且贵焉,耻也 > ------------------------------------------------ > Dr Sam Lanfranco (Prof Emeritus & Senior Scholar) > Econ, York U., Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - M3J 1P3 > email: [log in to unmask] <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml',[log in to unmask]);> Skype: slanfranco > blog: http://samlanfranco.blogspot.com > Phone: +1 613-476-0429 cell: +1 416-816-2852 > > -- *WISDOM DONKOR (S/N Eng.)* E-government and Open Government Data Platforms Specialist National Information Technology Agency (NITA)/ Ghana Open Data Initiative Project. ICANN Fellow / Member, UN IGF MAG Member, ISOC Member, Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) Member, Diplo Foundation Member, OGP Open Data WG Member, GODAN Memember, ITAG Member Email: [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] Skype: wisdom_dk facebook: facebook@wisdom_dk Website: www.nita.gov.gh / www.data.gov.gh www.isoc.gh / www.itag.org.gh