Stop The International Takeover Of the Internet!
61% Oppose U.S. Giving Up Control Over Internet - The U.S. government announced last Friday that it is giving up its last bit of control over the Internet and turning it over to an international organization.But most voters think that's a bad idea and expect countries like Russia and China to try to censor Internet content. ~ Rasmussen Reports
by Robert Romano: On March 14, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a press release stating its intent to "transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community" from its current contractor, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
On March 14, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a press release stating its intent to "transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community" from its current contractor, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
The plan is to "transition the current role played by NTIA in the coordination of the Internet's domain name system (DNS)" to "global stakeholders." We would add, without any vote in Congress. This is a big deal.
Administering the DNS is the key function that associates easy-to-remember domain names to numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses — the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) — an essential component to making the Internet work.
The Obama Administration cannot give away the IANA and control over DNS to anybody, it can only contract that service out, and then only under very limited circumstances per the U.S. code.
The Commerce Department still retains the right to terminate ICANN's contract, and to replace ICANN if necessary. When ICANN's contract with the federal government expires in 2015, as a government contractor, it will no longer possess the authority to administer DNS. That will remain with the federal government.
Otherwise, it takes a vote of Congress, which has plenary power over regulating interstate commerce, to authorize the transfer of control over DNS to any entity.
On March 14, Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens issued the following statement blasting the unilateral transfer, and urged Congress to take action: "Congress needs to prevent the Obama Administration from giving away U.S. control over the Internet to any international body."
Mehrens warned, "To allow the free speech rights of U.S. citizens to be threatened by international bodies that don't recognize these fundamental rights is dangerous and a threat to our national sovereignty. Perhaps this latest egregious action by the Obama Administration in their quest to deconstruct the United States will finally wake Congress up to their power of the purse responsibility as a co-equal partner in government."
You know what to do! Let's get on Rally Congress and urge members of both houses of Congress to stop the transfer of the Internet.
In 1998, groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) criticized the transfer of DNS to a private foundation like ICANN. "Internet administration has always guaranteed free speech and due process, since it has been done by U.S. Government contractors who are required to follow the U.S. Constitution. If the New IANA moves Internet administration out from under the U.S. Government, as there is general agreement to do, the public will lose these guarantees," Shari Steele, Staff Counsel at EFF warned at the time.
Steele and EFF were right then on the overall point of who the First Amendment applies to, and it holds true today as the Department of Commerce seeks to transition IANA governance to some new, as of yet unnamed international body.
Once it's gone, we won't get it back, and the ability to protect any website's free speech rights under the First Amendment will be gone — forever. With global communications increasingly reliant on the Internet to function, this is a critical threat to the freedom of expression.
Let's keep fighting! By raising awareness, we can win on this issue.
----------------
Robert Romano is the Senior Editor of Americans for Limited Government. also read his article Giving away the Internet surrenders the First Amendment.
Tags: Internet administration, ICANN, Commerce Department, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, global multistakeholder community, United Nations, Robert Romano To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
by Robert Romano: On March 14, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a press release stating its intent to "transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community" from its current contractor, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).On March 14, the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a press release stating its intent to "transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community" from its current contractor, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
The plan is to "transition the current role played by NTIA in the coordination of the Internet's domain name system (DNS)" to "global stakeholders." We would add, without any vote in Congress. This is a big deal.
Administering the DNS is the key function that associates easy-to-remember domain names to numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses — the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) — an essential component to making the Internet work.
The Obama Administration cannot give away the IANA and control over DNS to anybody, it can only contract that service out, and then only under very limited circumstances per the U.S. code.
The Commerce Department still retains the right to terminate ICANN's contract, and to replace ICANN if necessary. When ICANN's contract with the federal government expires in 2015, as a government contractor, it will no longer possess the authority to administer DNS. That will remain with the federal government.
Otherwise, it takes a vote of Congress, which has plenary power over regulating interstate commerce, to authorize the transfer of control over DNS to any entity.
On March 14, Americans for Limited Government President Nathan Mehrens issued the following statement blasting the unilateral transfer, and urged Congress to take action: "Congress needs to prevent the Obama Administration from giving away U.S. control over the Internet to any international body."
Mehrens warned, "To allow the free speech rights of U.S. citizens to be threatened by international bodies that don't recognize these fundamental rights is dangerous and a threat to our national sovereignty. Perhaps this latest egregious action by the Obama Administration in their quest to deconstruct the United States will finally wake Congress up to their power of the purse responsibility as a co-equal partner in government."
You know what to do! Let's get on Rally Congress and urge members of both houses of Congress to stop the transfer of the Internet.
In 1998, groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) criticized the transfer of DNS to a private foundation like ICANN. "Internet administration has always guaranteed free speech and due process, since it has been done by U.S. Government contractors who are required to follow the U.S. Constitution. If the New IANA moves Internet administration out from under the U.S. Government, as there is general agreement to do, the public will lose these guarantees," Shari Steele, Staff Counsel at EFF warned at the time.
Steele and EFF were right then on the overall point of who the First Amendment applies to, and it holds true today as the Department of Commerce seeks to transition IANA governance to some new, as of yet unnamed international body.
Once it's gone, we won't get it back, and the ability to protect any website's free speech rights under the First Amendment will be gone — forever. With global communications increasingly reliant on the Internet to function, this is a critical threat to the freedom of expression.
Let's keep fighting! By raising awareness, we can win on this issue.
----------------
Robert Romano is the Senior Editor of Americans for Limited Government. also read his article Giving away the Internet surrenders the First Amendment.
Tags: Internet administration, ICANN, Commerce Department, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, global multistakeholder community, United Nations, Robert Romano To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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