Congress 'Must Ensure' US Is Able To Protect Internet Freedom Post-IANA Transition, AEI Member Says
Congress “must ensure that the U.S. remains in a position to protect the stability and freedom” of the Internet after ICANN completes the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition, said American Enterprise Institute Global Internet Strategy Project National Advisory Board…
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Chairman Mike Daniels, former Network Solutions CEO, Wednesday in The Hill. Congress will have a chance to assess NTIA as it completes its review of ICANN-submitted plans for the IANA transition in June (see 1603110075). Congress can ensure Internet freedom by “making sure that any institution taking over the stewardship of the [Internet's] core functions should be structured to keep the [Internet] decentralized, open and free,” Daniels said. ICANN's current IANA transition plan “leaves unclear who will play the limited but crucial role” that NTIA currently plays in “making sure that any changes to the root-zone domain name file executed by the IANA administrator are in accordance with ICANN policy,” he said. “Ultimate control of the IANA function must never pass to an international organization controlled by governments, whether the United Nations, the International Telecommunications Union, or ICANN recast with governments in control.”