Posted on 09/30/2016 4:58:35 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
Precisely.
With Congress’ approval.
But where is Silicon Valley in all of this. This whole thing is fishy.
Dear John,
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding management of the Internet. I appreciate having your views on this important issue.
The Internet that is widely used today started as an American military project through the Pentagon in the early 1960s. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was created in 1998 to oversee the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. This system is most commonly known for matching understandable web addresses, like www.chabot.house.gov, with IP addresses (computer-readable number strings).
ICANN is a private, non-governmental entity. It is the sole organization that oversees these functions with a multi-stakeholder approach to its governance whereby policy decisions are made by the Board of Directors and a group of other stakeholders. The Department of Commerce has a degree of authority over ICANN through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions Contract.
This contract is set to expire on September 30, 2016. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an agency within the UN would likely replace the Department of Commerce, giving the international community oversight control over the IANA functions.
Like you, many are concerned that international control of ICANN would provide an avenue for repression of free speech by totalitarian governments or for the United Nations to censor the speech of law-abiding Americans advocating for our Second Amendment rights.
Because Congress has limited authority on this matter, my colleagues and I are working through the appropriations process to address our shared concerns. In addition, I have joined my colleagues in signing a letter to the department of Commerce requesting that it renew its contract with ICANN. Further, the House passed H.R. 805, the DOTCOM Act of 2015, with my support. This legislation would require the Department of Commerce to ensure that any transition plan addresses these concerns. H.R. 805 is still awaiting consideration by the Senate.
As congressional efforts to address the management of the Internet continue, I will monitor any developments and keep your concerns in mind.
Again, thank you for contacting me. If I can ever be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-2216 or my Cincinnati office at (513) 684-2723. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Steve Chabot
Member of Congress
I predict he’ll give away gitmo before he leaves.
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