[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 20 (Thursday, February 5, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   SENATE RESOLUTION 71--DESIGNATING THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 8 THROUGH 
      FEBRUARY 14, 2015, AS ``INTERNET GOVERNANCE AWARENESS WEEK''

  Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Warner, Mr. Coons, and Mr. 
Inhofe) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                               S. Res. 71

       Whereas the United States remains committed to the 
     multistakeholder model of Internet governance, in which the 
     private sector works in collaboration with civil society, 
     governments, and technical experts in a consensus fashion;
       Whereas the United States has, through its stewardship of 
     key Internet domain name functions, maintained an important 
     role in the protection of the Internet as presently 
     constituted;
       Whereas on March 14, 2014, the National Telecommunications 
     and Information Administration (referred to in this preamble 
     as the ``NTIA'') announced its intent to transition these key 
     Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder 
     community;
       Whereas the transition process demonstrates that the United 
     States supports and is committed to the multistakeholder 
     model of Internet governance;
       Whereas the NTIA has asked the Internet Corporation for 
     Assigned Names and Numbers (referred to in this preamble as 
     ``ICANN'') to convene global stakeholders to develop a 
     proposal to transition the current role played by the NTIA in 
     the coordination of the Internet's domain name system 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``DNS'');
       Whereas the NTIA has stated that there is no deadline for 
     the transition, and that the transition proposal must have 
     broad community support and must--
       (1) support and enhance the multistakeholder model;
       (2) maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the 
     Internet DNS;
       (3) meet the needs and expectations of the global customers 
     and partners of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority; and
       (4) maintain the openness of the Internet;
       Whereas the NTIA has also stated that it will not accept a 
     proposal that replaces the NTIA with a government-led or an 
     inter-governmental organization, a position that is 
     consistent with S. Con. Res. 50 (112th Congress), a 
     concurrent resolution that was unanimously passed by the 
     Senate and the House of Representatives in 2012 and supported 
     ``the consistent and unequivocal policy of the United States 
     to promote a global Internet free from government control and 
     preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model 
     that governs the Internet today'';
       Whereas ICANN will be holding its next global meeting, 
     ICANN 52, in Singapore between February 8 and February 12, 
     2015; and
       Whereas designating the week of February 8 through February 
     14, 2015, as ``Internet Governance Awareness Week'' will 
     encourage the participants at ICANN 52 to focus on developing 
     key ICANN accountability principles for the protection of the 
     global Internet: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Senate designates the week of February 8 through 
     February 14, 2015, as ``Internet Governance Awareness Week'' 
     to--
       (1) increase public awareness regarding the March 14, 2014 
     announcement by the National Telecommunications and 
     Information Administration (referred to in this resolving 
     clause as the ``NTIA'') declaring the intention of the NTIA 
     to transition the stewardship of the functions of the 
     Internet Assigned Numbers Authority to the global 
     multistakeholder community;
       (2) encourage public education about the importance of this 
     transition process; and
       (3) call the attention of the participants at the next 
     global meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names 
     and Numbers (referred to in this resolving clause as 
     ``ICANN'') to the importance of designing accountability and 
     governance reforms to best prepare ICANN for executing the 
     responsibilities that it may receive under any transition of 
     the stewardship of the functions of the Internet Assigned 
     Numbers Authority, including reforms that would--
       (A) insist that the domain name system continues to 
     function as part of a secure, stable, resilient, single, 
     decentralized, open, and interoperable Internet;
       (B) ensure a form of stewardship and accountability that is 
     based on the separation of the functions of policy-making, 
     policy implementation, and, as needed, independent 
     adjudication or arbitration for dispute resolution;
       (C) limit and maintain ICANN authority to matters that 
     pertain to the coordination of Internet unique identifiers, 
     and limit each function to those rights, responsibilities, 
     and authorities that have been explicitly assigned;
       (D) protect ICANN from undue influence or capture by one or 
     more governments or multilateral or intergovernmental 
     organizations, or a single set of other commercial or 
     noncommercial stakeholders;
       (E) maintain the commitment of ICANN for final action 
     regarding key policy decisions to demonstrate broad support 
     by the community of ICANN stakeholders;
       (F) reinforce and expand transparency and accountability 
     measures to ensure community access to ICANN documents and 
     records; and
       (G) ensure that, prior to the execution of the transition 
     of the stewardship of the functions of the Internet Assigned 
     Numbers Authority, each of the foregoing elements of such 
     proposal is adopted and made effective by ICANN through 
     incorporation in its articles of incorporation and by-laws, 
     as needed, and subject to independent adjudication or 
     arbitration for dispute resolution, as appropriate.

     SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as 
     congressional approval of any proposal by ICANN to transition 
     the stewardship of the functions of the Internet Assigned 
     Numbers Authority to the global multistakeholder community.

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