[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 153 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2386-E2387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           U.N. INTERVENTION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2005

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, the Internet is a truly American invention. 
As such, it is imbued with the American values of openness, freedom and 
democracy. It enables information and commerce to flow freely across 
oceans and political boundaries. The freedom of expression it creates 
has made censorship and information control futile, forcing governments 
to sell their ideologies and policies in an open market of ideas.
  Because of the freedom embodied by the Internet, it is no surprise 
that the world's dictatorial regimes would love to control and repress 
it. Therefore, it is no surprise that representatives from Iran, North 
Korea and China are conspiring to radically change the way the Internet 
is run. While they claim to be concerned about the level of control 
America has over the Internet, their real concern is their own lack of 
control!
  That is why many of these nations had proposed to install a new 
international government bureaucracy to dictate Internet policy for the 
world. This new bureaucracy would not only have removed industry and 
civil society groups from decisions about Internet management, but also 
threatened the stability of the network and the future of Internet 
innovation.
  But those are unimportant issues to nations that want to rein in 
dissidents and civil society groups that are using the Internet to 
spread democracy and freedom in their countries. They don't care about 
the stability of the Internet; they care about the stability of their 
morally bankrupt regimes.
  Fortunately, our United States negotiators have successfully beat 
back this lunge for control by the United Nations. But let there be no 
doubt about it--the desires of these foreign nations and international 
organizations to control the Internet for their own purposes is still 
strong, and they will try again and again until they succeed. That is 
why we must pass H. Con. Res. 268, which reconfirms America's 
commitment to ensuring the stability and openness of the Internet. It 
is critically important that the world knows that the United

[[Page E2387]]

States Congress stands solidly behind its delegation debating this 
issue, and behind the freedom of the Internet. More than a billion 
people rely on the Internet, so we must not compromise on the values of 
democracy and freedom that have made this engine of information so 
successful throughout the world. I urge all of my colleagues to vote in 
favor of this important resolution.

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