[Back in March. It’s not the relevant chairmen stonewalling the Senate. It goes higher than that.]
Cruz, Lankford, and Lee Raise New Concerns About ICANN’s Relationship with Authoritarian China
https://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=2603
“Mr. Chehadé’s participation resulted in an agreement to co-chair a high-level advisory committee for the conference, which could make ICANN complicit in the Chinese censorship regime. Since sending our letter, additional evidence has come to light suggesting that ICANN’s relationship with the Chinese government may be a systemic problem within the organization itself and not limited to a single individual.”
[snip]
“Fadi Chehadé has been called on to recuse himself from all discussions and negotiations pertaining to the IANA transition given a confirmed personal conflict of interest with the Chinese government. Has ICANN taken any action to ensure that Fadi Chade will recuse himself from the IANA transition? If no, please describe the reason for ICANN’s inaction.”
[snip]
When ICANN announced it was opening its first global engagement office in Beijing, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) stated that it would “invest necessary human and material resources in the construction of the center and actively carry out its functions including the coordination, communication, as well as operation in order to provide effective, long-term and stable services for ICANN to serve China’s Internet industry.” Please provide yes-or-no answers to the following questions:
a. Did CNNIC invest human and material resources in the construction of ICANN’s global engagement office in Beijing?
b. Is CNNIC actively carrying out the functions, coordination, communication, or operation of ICANN’s global engagement office in Beijing?
c. Do any individuals associated with CNNIC or the Chinese government have a formal or informal role in ICANN’s global engagement office in Beijing?
ICANN currently lists the address for each hub office and engagement office on its website except for the engagement office in Beijing.[21] Please provide the address of ICANN’s engagement office in Beijing.
[snip]
[very lengthy]
The Horse’s Mouth — Transcript of Professional Witness Testimony
http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/09-14-16-rosenzweig-testimony
[Very thick but useful for word searches.]
Paul Rosenzweig is the only witness I had time to study on short notice.
If one source fails to suffice he refers to “my Heritage colleague Brett Schaefer”.
The page also adds links to back up each of his claims in the testimony.
Rosenzweig goes on at length about what a joke the “Empowered Community” is. If you google for other sources, bear in mind they often abbrievate it to ‘the community’. The word ‘empowered’ is dropped most of the time.