Stearns: U.S. Needs Larger Role At ICANN
House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., on Friday said he has lingering questions about an agreement that the Obama administration signed this week with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers that loosens the U.S. government's grip on the entity that administers the domain name system. Chief among his concerns are the plan's implications for potential legal and security risks if foreign powers are involved with the oversight and handling of data.
Under the agreement, which replaces a multiyear contract between ICANN and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration that expired Wednesday, a handful of expert panels will supervise a range of Internet governance related activities from the security and stability of domain names to ICANN's internal functioning. The U.S. government will have only one permanent seat as part of an accountability panel.
"Surely, the United States should have a permanent seat on all four panels," Stearns said in a statement. "The United States has been the leader in the Internet's development and should provide leadership into the future. All countries may participate in it's continue development, but the United States should still retain a prime leadership role." Others have been critical of the NTIA-ICANN deal as well. Read Thursday's CongressDaily PM Edition for more (subscription required).
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