[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WILL GIVE UP CONTROL OF THE INTERNET IN 9 DAYS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUFFY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my great concern that 
in a mere 9 days the United States Government is going to give up 
control of the Internet. This is one of those issues that I don't think 
many Americans know about. This is not on the front page above the fold 
of your paper. It is not splashed across your nightly news. You are not 
seeing it everywhere on the Internet. So Americans aren't really aware 
of it 9 days before this transfer is about to take place.
  Now, as the Speaker knows, there are many things in this House both 
parties don't always agree on--that might be an understatement. The 
President just transferred $1.7 billion to Iran; $400 million, 
arguably, was Iranian money, but $1.3 billion was American money, U.S. 
taxpayer money, transferred to Iran, the lead sponsor of Tehran cash. I 
disagree with that. Some of my colleagues on the other side might 
applaud that and think that is a great idea. I would disagree.
  Or the fact that we are releasing prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. 
Folks who helped craft the 9/11 attack are being released from GTMO 
back to areas where they can do America more harm. I disagree with 
that. My friends across the aisle might agree with those releases. 
Those are some big items that this Chamber does not agree on.
  But the transfer of control of the core functions of the Internet is 
something that many Members of this Chamber and many Americans agree 
with. It is going to transfer those core functions to an international 
foreign body that will include Russia and China and Iran and even 
Europe, transferring that control.
  And let's make no mistake; the Internet was made in America. The 
Internet was paid for by American taxpayers at its point of invention, 
and the Internet has revolutionized the world, revolutionized the form 
in which we communicate. Not only is it great technology, but it 
embodies the American idea of freedom of speech. It is all open. Put 
out your ideas; some are good, some are bad, some are true, some are 
false, but it is free, just like that American idea of free speech. We 
have exported that freedom of speech idea to the rest of the world on 
the Internet, radically transformed the way people around the world 
communicate, and it was made in America with the American idea of free 
speech.
  Now, 9 days from now, we are on the cusp of transferring its control 
to a foreign body that doesn't share that same idea of freedom of 
speech. We all know Russia doesn't share that idea, China doesn't share 
that idea, and Iran doesn't share that idea. But you might say, my 
friends, Europe, they share that idea, don't they? Not necessarily, 
they don't. They have rules in the European Union that will delineate 
hate speech and offensive speech that has to be taken off the 
Internet--not an American idea. That is a European idea of free speech.
  But when you talk about offensive speech, offensive to whom? I could 
say, well, Catholics or Christians might hold certain positions and put 
certain things on the Internet that another group finds offensive, or 
the LGBT community might put something on the Internet that another 
group finds offensive. I am sorry. In a debate of ideas where you have 
a free flow, people can get offended, and that is okay.

                              {time}  1100

  But, to shut down speech that is offensive, even in the European 
model, frankly, to me, is offensive.
  I think what we have to do in this body is to prevent the transfer. 
The Internet, I would argue, is U.S. Government property; and if the 
President is you-know-what-bent on transferring its control, it should 
come to this House and to the Senate. We should vote. We should have 
hearings and a debate.
  In the end, the American people should see how their Senators and 
their House Members vote on the transfer of the core functions of the 
Internet. They should have a say. They should be able to petition their 
elected Representatives to say: I love the idea that you are going to 
transfer control to a global body that doesn't share our ideas, or, my 
goodness, stop the transfer.
  Petition your elected Representatives, and let's have them take a 
vote. That is not going to happen. It is going to be transferred by the 
President--without a vote. I would ask all Americans to stand up, to 
push back, to fight back, and to make sure we maintain the great idea 
of the American and now global Internet.

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