Lawmakers praise White House for delaying transfer of Internet control

U.S. Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Commerce Committee chairman; Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications and Technology Subcommittee chairman; and John Shimkus (R-IL) praised the Obama administration in a statement on Monday concerning the renewal of the U.S. contract for Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) with the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Under the contract, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information
Administration will continue operating the Domain Name System
while the multistakeholder community works toward a
transition of this role to the global Internet community.

“This is an important step,” the trio said in the statement. “The administration is recognizing, as it should, that it is more important to get this issue right than it is to simply get it done. A key component of the bipartisan DOTCOM (Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters) Act, which was overwhelmingly approved by the House, is to ensure congressional oversight and provide concrete accountability and transparency measures for the transition. By extending the United States’ role in these functions, we are creating an environment for ongoing dialogue and decision making instead of a rush to meet artificial deadlines. We appreciate the administration’s efforts and look forward to working with them, and the global Internet community, to get this done right.”