The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“IANA TRANSITION” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Commerce was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5042 on Sept. 6, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
IANA TRANSITION
(Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is so exciting to have time to be in our district every day and work, listening to our constituents and hearing what is on their mind. I heard a lot about the lack of broadband expansion in rural America and, likewise, I heard a lot about and many questions arose about what in the world is it that the administration is doing trying to give away the Internet. People couldn't believe that.
Of course, we have heard the administration's plan to cede control of this, for ICANN to move away from the Commerce Department, and they have assured us: ``Trust us.'' They have said: ``It is all going to be fine.'' But now we know they are contemplating and involving U.N. control contrary to what had been reported and planned and promised.
The Wall Street Journal, in a recent column, August 28, ``An Internet Giveaway to the U.N.,'' said this: ``Authoritarian regimes have already proposed Icann become part of the U.N. to make it easier for them to censor the internet globally.'' The column also notes: ``an independent review within Icann called the organization `simply not credible' '' in its handling of domain name applications.
Think about this: We cannot allow control for Russia or China over U.S. free speech.
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