Obama Off-Shoring our Internet

Could America Lose Internet Access?

As President Barack Obama strives to bring his presidency to a positive public relations conclusion, Ted Cruz and a group of House Republicans are developing a plan to dismantle his work toward turning over control of the Internet to nation’s that have as a reputation for being enemies of free speech.

GOP legislators have been warning us that the administration’s intention to turn over its control over ICANN, an international nonprofit that handles the Internet’s system of domain names, will grant authoritarian countries such as China the leeway to make digital grabs for power.

Presently, as the date of the turnover looms nearer- Oct. 1- House Republicans are investigating ways they can stall the transition of Internet regulation to foreign powers.

“Today the country faces yet another threat to free speech on the Internet. In just a few days, if Congress does nothing, President Obama is going to give control of the Internet to an international organization comparable to the U.N.,” Cruz told the Senate on Thursday.

“I have risen today to talk about the momentous, irreparable harm that the Administration’s proposed Internet power change-over could bring, not just to our nation but to free speech all over the world.”

As usual, Cruz has a very strong point, but that doesn’t appear to be preventing the President from appealing to both tech and telecom corporations to lend him their support in his effort to relinquish control of the Internet.

Cruz has set up a public access website designed to bring the issue of the dangers of letting this measure pass, as well as a prominently displayed countdown clock sending a very clear message of how little time is left before this plan goes into effect.

He plans to hold a hearing with oversight subcommittees which he will chair for a week to examine the various aspects of Obama’s plan, and to highlight its risks.

At the same time, Senate Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) said that language meant to delay the change-over could be woven into a resolution designed to fund the government through the month of September. House Republicans are also considering the options available to them in an upcoming appropriations bill, as confirmed by a GOP aide last week.

“I don’t believe the foundation has been laid in the proper way for this to go forward,” Thune said. “Some of us are strongly opposed to this transition, and many of us think the timing is wrong, that it hasn’t been vetted and is not ready.”

Senator Jerry Moran, (R. Kansas), has called the deadline “arbitrary.” He suggested that nothing should move forward until their concerns have been fully addressed.

The Commerce Department’s Telecommunications and Information Administration said that the transition plan would enhance the “multistakeholder model” of Internet control. The agency said it believes the U.S. oversight role would be temporary.

Republicans mounted opposition to the decision very rapidly, saying the loss of U.S. control would constitute a power vacuum that would be filled by Russia, China and similar nations leading to increased online censorship.

Since that time, Congress passed a string of funding measures that prevent the agency from turning its control of the domain name functions over for a period of time. The provisions are set to expire at the end of September.

Larry Strickling, chief of the NTIA, asserts no congressional law has been broken in forwarding the transition plans. He’s just as adamant that holding back the transition would do more to help Russia and China, and hurt the credibility of the United States around the world.

Many people would be glad to sacrifice credibility if it means avoiding walking straight into a bad deal. This would seem to reflect the sentiments of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who said he believes the transition must be delayed because of the many ongoing problems with the plan.

Rubio, and four other Republican senators wrote a letter to the NTIA explaining the transition was not ready. They urged the group to allow for an extension of the contract with ICANN.

The first day Congress returned to session, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) made a speech on the importance of preventing the transfer of authority entirely.

“Think about it. We must not allow Russia or China to have any control over American free speech,” she said.

She is absolutely right. There is nothing positive that could from allowing nations with hideous human rights and free speech issues to have more control over one of the world’s final bastions of free speech and free expression.

http://www.wealthauthority.com/articles/could-america-lose-internet-access/