[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 152 (Wednesday, November 16, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13063-S13065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REGARDING OVERSIGHT OF THE INTERNET CORPORATION FOR ASSIGNED NAMES AND
NUMBERS
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 317, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 317) expressing the sense of the
Senate regarding oversight of the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today at the World Summit on the
Information Society, an agreement was announced to maintain the current
structure for managing the Internet. This agreement marks a critical
step toward ensuring the stability and security of the Internet and
preserving its benefits not only for the United States, but for
countries across the globe.
In late October I joined with the other cochairs of the Internet
Caucus in a letter to the White House urging the administration to
stand firm in its position to protect the Internet and resist efforts
to undo the structure that has worked so well so far. I also joined
Senator Burns in offering a resolution to maintain the currently
effective status quo on Internet governance. The agreement that now has
been reached in Tunis to maintain the current structure for managing
domain names and the Internet is consistent with our efforts.
The value of the Internet is incalculable. The Internet has brought
an unprecedented level of commercial exchanges in both the consumer and
business-to-business realms. It has spawned and prompted the
development of new ideas, businesses and relationships. It has
empowered people who have never had access to power and otherwise would
likely never have an opportunity to be heard, much less challenge or
influence public policy and institutional power. It has introduced and
cemented friendships across the globe, and it has distributed
information and fostered greater understanding and awareness of others'
ideas and others' cultures. Becoming part of a global Internet
environment has also shown us we are part of the wider world in which
all of us live. It is values like these that no doubt our world
partners are seeking to preserve in their proposals, yet would
unwittingly undermine.
The United States developed and nourished the Internet. The open
economy and constitutional liberties that are the foundations of our
Nation allowed us the privilege and extraordinary responsibility to
serve as the great incubator that has unleashed these spectacular
developments and benefits.
No doubt we can do even better. Some have benefited substantially
more than others. We have further strides to make before eradicating
the digital divide and narrowing the gaps between the haves and have-
nots. We also need to be vigilant in maintaining the essential freedom
and influences that have kept the Internet flourishing. We should work
closely with other countries to address challenges and concerns as they
arise. By proceeding prudently and knowledgeably, taking care not to
jeopardize the innovations and openness that have allowed the Internet
to thrive, we can foster progress and continue to enjoy the benefits
the Internet continues to bring to the world.
I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the letter from the Internet
Caucus cochairs to the White House and today's Associated Press article
``Deal Reached on Managing the Internet'' be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, October 24, 2005.
Hon. George W. Bush,
The President of the United States, The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear President Bush: As co-chairs of the Congressional
Internet Caucus, we are writing to applaud your position that
governance of the Internet should not be transferred to an
international government organization and to urge you to
communicate this position to the international community
during the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) in Tunisia.
As you know, the Internet's domain name system (DNS) is
administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN), a private, nonprofit organization based
in the United States that works closely with the U.S.
Department of Commerce. We believe that this privately-
operated approach fosters market principles and is the most
efficient way to administer the DNS. The greater the
government involvement in running the Internet's day-to-day
operations, the more likely that red tape and overly
burdensome regulations will result.
[[Page S13064]]
However, the U.N., with the support of countries including
China, Iran, and Cuba, released a report earlier this year
which included proposals to take control of administration of
the Internet from the U.S.-based ICANN and give it to a
bureaucratic U.N. body. Recently, the EU has signaled that it
would also support having an international body oversee the
Internet. We believe that it is unacceptable for the U.N. to
administer the Internet, and are extremely concerned that the
EU would move toward this position.
The United States is uniquely positioned to protect the
fundamental principles of free press and free speech upon
which the Internet has thrived. The U.S. Constitution
guarantees that basic rights, and to cede control of the
Internet to countries with at best questionable records
regarding these rights could jeopardize the continued success
of the Internet and lead to significant restrictions on
access to the Internet's wealth of information.
With the WSIS convening next month in Tunisia, we urge you
to continue to take a strong stand for the principles that
have guided the administration of the Internet to date and
fostered the phenomenal growth of the Internet: ftee market
principles, the freedoms of speech and the press, and limited
bureaucratic involvement.
Thank you again for your work to ensure the freedom and
effective administration of the Internet. We look forward to
continuing to work with you on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Bob Goodlatte,
Member of Congress.
Conrad Burns,
United States Senator.
Rich Boucher,
Member of Congress.
Patrick Leahy,
United States Senator.
____
Deal Reached on Managing the Internet
(By Matt Moore)
A summit focusing on narrowing the digital divide between
the rich and poor residents and countries opened Wednesday
with an agreement of sorts on who will maintain ultimate
oversight of the Internet and the flow of information,
commerce and dissent.
The World Summit on the Information Society had been
overshadowed by a lingering, if not vocal, struggle about
overseeing the domain names and technical issues that make
the Internet work and keep people from Pakistan to Canada
surfing Web sites in the search for information, news and
buying and selling.
Negotiators from more than 100 countries agreed late
Tuesday to leave the United States in charge of the
Internet's addressing system, averting a U.S.-EU showdown at
this week's U.N. technology summit.
U.S. officials said early Wednesday that instead of
transferring management of the system to an international
body such as the United Nations, an international forum would
be created to address concerns. The forum, however, would
have no binding authority.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael Gallagher said
the deal means the United States will leave day-to-day
management to the private sector, through a quasi-independent
organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers, or ICANN.
``The Internet lives to innovate for another day,'' he told
The Associated Press.
Negotiators have met since Sunday to reach a deal ahead of
the U.N. World Summit on the Information Society, which
starts Wednesday. World leaders are expected to ratify a
declaration incorporating the deal during the summit, which
ends Friday.
While the summit drew thousands of people from around the
world, most western countries opted not to send their top-
ranking leaders, preferring instead to send government
workers and low-level figures.
However, other leaders were scheduled to attend, including
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senegal's Abdulaye Wade
and Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi. Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez was due to fly to the summit Wednesday, organizers
said.
The summit was originally conceived to address the digital
divide--the gap between information haves and have-nots--by
raising both consciousness and funds for projects.
Instead, it has centered largely around Internet
governance: oversight of the main computers that control
traffic on the Internet by acting as its master directories
so Web browsers and e-mail programs can find other computers.
The accord reached late Tuesday also called for the
establishment of a new international group to give more
countries a stronger say in how the Internet works, including
the issue of making domain names--currently done in the Latin
languages--into other languages, such as Chinese, Urdu and
Arabic.
Under the terms of the compromise, the new group, the
Internet Governance Forum, would start operating next year
with its first meeting opened by Annan. Beyond bringing its
stakeholders to the table to discuss the issues affecting the
Internet, and its use, it won't have ultimate authority.
Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for Information Society
and Media, said the agreement paved the way for a progressive
forward motion in overseeing Internet governance.
``This agreement was possible because of the strong belief
of all democratic nations that enhanced international
cooperation is the best way to make progress towards
guaranteeing the freedom of the Internet around the globe and
also to enhance transparency and accountability in decisions
affecting the architecture of the Web,'' she said.
``The fact that the EU spoke with one voice in Tunis, and
had stood by its case for more cooperation on Internet
governance in the run-up to the summit, certainly strongly
influenced this positive agreement,'' she said.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Michael D. Gallagher
said the compromise's ultimate decision is that leadership of
the Internet, and its future direction, will remain in the
hands of the private sector, although some critics contend
that the U.S. government, which oversees ICANN, if only
nominally, could still flex its muscle in future decisions.
``The rural digital divide is isolating almost 1 billion of
the poorest people who are unable to participate in the
global information society,'' the agency said in a statement.
Ahead of the summit, rights watchdogs say, both Tunisian
and foreign reporters have been harassed and beaten.
Reporters Without Borders says its secretary-general, Robert
Menard, has been banned from attending.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 317) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 317
Whereas the origins of the Internet can be found in United
States Government funding of research to develop packet-
switching technology and communications networks, starting
with the ``ARPANET'' network established by the Department of
Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency in the 1960s and
carried forward by the National Science Foundation's
``NSFNET'';
Whereas in subsequent years the Internet evolved from a
United States Government research initiative to a global tool
for information exchange as in the 1990s it was
commercialized by private sector investment, technical
management and coordination;
Whereas since its inception the authoritative root zone
server--the file server system that contains the master list
of all top level domain names made available for routers
serving the Internet--has been physically located in the
United States;
Whereas today the Internet is a global communications
network of inestimable value;
Whereas the continued success and dynamism of the Internet
is dependent upon continued private sector leadership and the
ability for all users to participate in its continued
evolution;
Whereas in allowing people all around the world freely to
exchange information, communicate with one another, and
facilitate economic growth and democracy, the Internet has
enormous potential to enrich and transform human society;
Whereas existing structures have worked effectively to make
the Internet the highly robust medium that it is today;
Whereas the security and stability of the Internet's
underlying infrastructure, the domain name and addressing
system, must be maintained;
Whereas the United States has been committed to the
principles of freedom of expression and the free flow of
information, as expressed in Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and reaffirmed the Geneva
Declaration of Principles adopted at the first phase of the
World Summit on the Information Society;
Whereas the U.S. Principles on the Internet's Domain Name
and Addressing System, issued on June 30, 2005, represent an
appropriate framework for the coordination of the system at
the present time;
Whereas the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers popularly known as ICANN, is the proper organization
to coordinate the technical day-to-day operation of the
Internet's domain name and addressing system;
Whereas all stakeholders from around the world, including
governments, are encouraged to advise ICANN in its decision-
making;
Whereas ICANN makes significant efforts to ensure that the
views of governments and all Internet stakeholders are
reflected in its activities;
Whereas governments have legitimate concerns with respect
to the management of their country code top level domains;
Whereas the United States Government is committed to
working successfully with the international community to
address those concerns, bearing in mind the need for
stability and security of the Internet's domain name and
addressing system;
Whereas the topic of Internet governance, as currently
being discussed in the United Nations World Summit on the
Information Society is a broad and complex topic;
Whereas it is appropriate for governments and other
stakeholders to discuss Internet
[[Page S13065]]
governance, given that the Internet will likely be an
increasingly important part of the world economy and society
in the 21st Century;
Whereas Internet governance discussions in the World Summit
should focus on the real threats to the Internet's growth and
stability, and not recommend changes to the current regime of
domain name and addressing system management and coordination
on political grounds unrelated to any technical need; and
Whereas market-based policies and private sector leadership
have allowed this medium the flexibility to innovate and
evolve: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That it is the sense of the Senate
that--
(1) it is incumbent upon the United States and other
responsible governments to send dear signals to the
marketplace that the current structure of oversight and
management of the Internet's domain name and addressing
service works, and will continue to deliver tangible benefits
to Internet users worldwide in the future; and
(2) therefore the authoritative root zone server should
remain physically located in the United States and the
Secretary of Commerce should maintain oversight of ICANN so
that ICANN can continue to manage the day-to-day operation of
the Internet's domain name and addressing system well, remain
responsive to all Internet stakeholders worldwide, and
otherwise fulfill its core technical mission.
____________________