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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">With the U.S. Federal election two
months away, several weeks after the planned IANA transition, <br>
these moves might be designed for partisan political advantage in
the last two or three weeks leading up to the election.<br>
It is not hard to speculate about strategies to knock off two
birds (a candidate and the transition) with one move.<br>
Even if the U.S. Senate and House do nothing, the transition
process and the election can be seriously impacted here,<br>
especially by a well timed and well orchestrated media campaign.
Hopefully such choppy waters do not materialize. <br>
<br>
Sam L.<br>
<br>
On 9/8/2016 3:11 PM, Sonigitu Ekpe wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CALLeeatRCrXimYAhs8TtqdW87fZ68ZFx2-vy9Ps_55zDHe7pKg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<p dir="ltr"><i><b><b>“The transition of the IANA functions to the
global multi-stakeholder community is a serious,
groundbreaking, and potentially unalterable action.”</b></b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>WASHINGTON</b> - House Energy and Commerce
Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), U.S. Senate Commerce,
Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune
(R-S.D.), Senate Committee on the Judiciary Chairman Chuck
Grassley (R-Iowa), and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob
Goodlatte (R-Va.) today, in a <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwOTA4LjYzNTA1NjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDkwOC42MzUwNTY2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MzQ0NzI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZ1c2VyaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&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">letter</a> to
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Commerce
Penny Pritzker, raised numerous concerns about plans for the
Obama Administration to cede authority over the Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions managed by the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and
called for reconsideration of the transition, currently set to
occur on October 1, 2016.
</p>
<p dir="ltr">“The transition of the IANA functions to the global
multi-stakeholder community is a serious, groundbreaking, and
potentially unalterable action,” said the four chairmen in the
letter to Lynch and Pritzker. “We have closely examined the
arguments for and against the proposed transition, including
concerns about whether the transition could enhance the role of
authoritarian regimes in Internet governance. In particular, we
have heard from witnesses testifying to concerns that important
accountability measures have yet to be fully fleshed out,
tested, or proven, because they will not have been implemented
prior to September 30, 2016.”
</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition to concerns about the status of
accountability reforms inside ICANN, the four chairmen also
cited recent violations of ICANN’s own bylaws by board members,
questions about the application of anti-trust laws, the
potential for an independent ICANN to move outside the
jurisdiction of the United States, and unfinished work by the
non-partisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) in
determining the legal authority for the federal government to
relinquish its current role in IANA functions without express
authorization from Congress.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“There is a broad range of important questions on
both law and policy that remain outstanding with respect to the
proposed transfer of the IANA functions to ICANN and the global
multi-stakeholder community. We call on you to address the
questions and concerns detailed above and to reconsider the
Administration’s current plans to transition the IANA functions
on October 1, 2016.” </p>
<p dir="ltr">The IANA functions of the internet include the
process for resolving domain names and helping to keep the
internet running smoothly. ICANN, which manages the IANA
functions, currently works under contract for the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an
agency within the Department of Commerce.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Committee and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
exercise principal jurisdiction over the Department of Commerce.
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Judiciary
Committee exercise jurisdiction over the Department of Justice.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i>Click here for a copy of the </i><i><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwOTA4LjYzNTA1NjYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDkwOC42MzUwNTY2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MzQ0NzI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZ1c2VyaWQ9c29uaWdpdHUuZWtwZUBncmFkdWF0ZWluc3RpdHV0ZS5jaCZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&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">letter</a></i><i> from
Thune, Grassley, Upton, and Goodlatte to Lynch and Pritzker.</i><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p><br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
------------------------------------------------
"It is a disgrace to be rich and honoured
in an unjust state" -Confucius
邦有道，贫且贱焉，耻也。邦无道，富且贵焉，耻也
------------------------------------------------
Dr Sam Lanfranco (Prof Emeritus & Senior Scholar)
Econ, York U., Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - M3J 1P3
email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Lanfran@Yorku.ca">Lanfran@Yorku.ca</a> Skype: slanfranco
blog: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://samlanfranco.blogspot.com">http://samlanfranco.blogspot.com</a>
Phone: +1 613-476-0429 cell: +1 416-816-2852</pre>
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