[isoc-ny] ISOC-NY joins coalition of groups supporting the completion of the IANA Transition - hearing is Weds

Tue Sep 13 14:49:38 PDT 2016

As promised, more on IANA. We live in interesting times!  tl;dr. Hearing is
10am Weds, here
<http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/protecting-internet-freedom-implications-of-ending-us-oversight-of-the-internet>
.

joly posted: "The Internet Society's New York Chapter (ISOC-NY) has joined
a coalition of groups supporting the completion of the IANA Transition.
This, along with similar letters from ISOC's Kathy Brown, another
coalition, and more, amount to practically unanimous app"

[image: iana]The *Internet Society's New York Chapter <http://isoc-ny.org>*
(ISOC-NY) has joined *a coalition of groups supporting the completion of
the IANA Transition
<https://cdt.org/insight/coalition-statement-in-support-of-completing-the-iana-transition/>*.
This, along with similar letters from ISOC's *Kathy Brown
<http://www.internetsociety.org/doc/support-timely-transition-iana-stewardship>*,
*another coalition <http://www.circleid.com/pdf/IANA-Letter.pdf>*, and *more
<https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/iana-stewardship-support-statements-31aug16-en.pdf>,
*amount to practically unanimous approval of the transfer plan from the
Internet community. This outpouring is the result of some possible bumps in
the road.

*Some background:*
After 18 years of steady progress since the formation of ICANN, and two
years of intense negotiation within the multistakeholder community to come
up with a plan, on Aug 12 2016 the NTIA *declared
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/20160816marby.pdf>* that
it intends to let the* IANA Functions Contract
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Assigned_Numbers_Authority#Oversight>*
expire on *Sep 30 2016*, "barring any significant impediment". However, a
significant impediment may indeed possibly arise in the form of
congressional opposition. On the Senate side this is led by former
presidential candidate *Ted Cruz* who, speaking on Sep 8 2016,
vociferously *spoke
against it <https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4619876/cruz-iana-9816>*.

(transcript
<http://www.internetnews.me/2016/09/12/cruz-speech-senate-8-september-2016/>
)

Cruz made several spurious claims - pretty much the opposite of reality -
about the implications of the transfer, for instance, about the power of
governments to control global content via ICANN, or that ICANN would leave
U.S. jurisdiction. This prompted ICANN to issue a refuting *FAQ
<https://www.icann.org/iana-stewardship-questions>*.

Also on September 8, *a bill*
<https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/853/text>
opposing
the transfer was introduced in the House, and several other prominent pols
sent *a letter
<https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/9b6b37a9-e5a4-4695-931e-73d54b32f768/D453845EFDC860DCC3161346BBCA9C63.20160908-doj-lynch-doc-pritzker-joint-letter-on-iana-transition.pdf>*
to the DoC & DoJ raising anti-trust, jurisdiction, and accountability
concerns. Cruz's solution was to call for "continuing and strengthening"
financial constraints imposed on the NTIA in 2015 via a *continuing
resolution <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_resolution>*, in
effect de-funding the transfer in the imminent Appropriations Bill. If such
were to happen, the only way the transition would go through would be via
an Obama veto, and a resulting government shutdown. Something that did
happen in the battle over Obamacare in 2013, but *not seen
<http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/295261-cruz-to-inject-internet-fight-into-spending-battle>*
as a likely prospect in 2016, despite it precipitating a Republican
pratfall last time round.

However, transcendentally, whether such financial constraints do even in
fact prevent the transfer taking place appear negated by a *GAO report
issued on Monday <http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/679691.pdf>*! The NTIA's *Larry
Strickling* immediately *responded
<http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2016/statement-assistant-secretary-strickling-gao-report>*
“We thank the GAO for its thorough analysis of the property implications of
the IANA transition. We are pleased that GAO concluded that the transition
does not involve a transfer of U.S. government property requiring
Congressional approval.”

The *Senate Judiciary Committee* will hold a hearing - chaired by Cruz
- *Protecting
Internet Freedom: Implications of Ending U.S. Oversight of the Internet
<http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/protecting-internet-freedom-implications-of-ending-us-oversight-of-the-internet>*
at *10am EDT Wednesday September 14 2016*. There should be a webcast
available on that link, and also audio via *CapitolHearings.org
<http://www.capitolhearings.org/Hearing/SSJU00201609141000/dirksen226.aspx>*
.

Comment <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8637#respond>    See all comments
<http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8637#comments>

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http://isoc-ny.org/p2/8637

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Joly MacFie
President - Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY)
http://isoc-ny.org          218 565 9365
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