Hearing of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee - Stakeholder Perspectives on the IANA Transition
Hearing
Thank you Chairman Walden for calling today's hearing and working with us to
assemble this panel of expert witnesses.
The subject of today's hearing is the transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers
Authority or IANA. This function is sometimes called the Internet's "phone book" of Internet
names and numbers. More simply, it is what allows Internet users to easily navigate the web.
The Internet is an unprecedented platform for economic opportunity and democratic free
expression. It is used by three billion people around the globe. Because this phone book has
worked so well, very few of us ever have to think about how it works. We just know it
works. And that's a credit to a successful Internet governance model that uses a multistakeholder
approach to decision making.
We all want this success story to continue. That is why the United States government has
taken steps over the past two decades to get out of the way and allow the private sector to assume
management of the domain name system. Put another way, we think the future of the Internet
should be determined by businesses, civil society, and technical experts.
Both Republican and Democratic Administrations have supported the idea that the
Internet should be governed through a decentralized, bottom-up process that is free from
governmental control. Congress too has embraced this vision. In 2013, the House voted
unanimously in support of a bill making it official U.S. policy to "preserve and advance the
successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet."
I believe that the transition of the IANA functions to the global multi-stakeholder
community helps achieve that goal. Since NTIA announced last March its intention to relinquish
control of the IANA contract, they have made significant progress to plan for this
transition. They have also made impressive strides to enhance accountability for ICANN. NTIA
has clearly and consistently articulated principles for the transition, in keeping with the U.S.
government's support for the multi-stakeholder model and an open, global Internet.
I believe Congress has a bipartisan interest in seeing the IANA transition executed
consistent with these principles. We all have a shared interest in transparency and
accountability. I therefore thank my Republican colleagues, especially Chairman Walden and
Mr. Shimkus, for working with me to address my concerns with the DOTCOM Act. I look
forward to continuing our shared responsibility to conduct rigorous oversight of NTIA and
ensure the agency lives up to its commitments for the transition.
Thank you to our witnesses today for sharing their perspectives on the proposals that
have been put forward and the work that remains to be done.
I believe Congress has a bipartisan interest in seeing the IANA transition executed
consistent with these principles. We all have a shared interest in transparency and
accountability. I therefore thank my Republican colleagues, especially Chairman Walden and
Mr. Shimkus, for working with me to address my concerns with the DOTCOM Act. I look
forward to continuing our shared responsibility to conduct rigorous oversight of NTIA and
ensure the agency lives up to its commitments for the transition.
Thank you to our witnesses today for sharing their perspectives on the proposals that
have been put forward and the work that remains to be done.
Source