[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 82 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2015

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                               speech of

                            HON. MIKE KELLY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 28, 2014

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4660) making 
     appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, 
     Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2015, and for other purposes:

  Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 4660, the fiscal year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related 
Agencies appropriations bill. I wish to highlight one area under the 
jurisdiction of this committee and germane to this bill: U.S. 
stewardship and the Internet.
  U.S. stewardship of the Internet's critical functions has allowed the 
World Wide Web to safely flourish and expand to endless horizons, 
enabling new ideas to spread and new markets to grow all over the 
world. It is clear that we have a duty to keep the Internet and its 
benefits to people worldwide fully safe from hostile powers overseas 
who seek to impede the free flow of information.
  I am deeply concerned with the Obama administration's recent 
announcement that the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration (NTIA), an agency of the Department of Commerce, intends 
to relinquish control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names 
and Numbers (ICANN) and ``to transition key Internet domain name 
functions to the global multistakeholder community.'' Thus I introduced 
H.R. 4367, the Internet Stewardship Act of 2014, to ensure that 
Congress has the final say in any such transfer of stewardship.
  The committee report for H.R. 4660 notes that ``[a]ny such transition 
represents a significant public policy change and should be preceded by 
an open and transparent process'' and recommends no funds to be used by 
NTIA to carry out this transition. I agree. Specifically, the Obama 
administration must address a number of pressing concerns and 
demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that its plan will accomplish 
crucial objectives, including but not limited to the following:
  Ensure that ICANN does not fall under the control of authoritarian 
governments such as Russia or China or UN organizations such as the 
International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
  Create effective oversight of ICANN through the rigorous auditing of 
ICANN's finances and activities by an independent body, and
  Confirm that ICANN has the technical capability to maintain the 
authoritative root zone and the ability to block any malicious attack 
on it.
  Unless the Obama administration demonstrates, to the satisfaction of 
the Congress, that its plan to transfer stewardship over these key 
Internet functions fulfills the common sense requirements described 
above and other key goals set forth by Congress, such transfer shall 
not take place.
  I urge my colleagues to vote for this important legislation.

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