NTIA escapes IANA spending restriction in Senate spend Bill

UPDATE: I am not going to rewrite this blog post. However, since writing it earlier today, I learned that there was a late addition — a “managers’ package” — added to the bill prior to passage. That new language, offered by Senator Johanns, adds a requirement that Senate Commerce receive 7 days advance notice of …

Second House of Representatives “must pass” legislation amendment ups the stakes on ICANNTransition

The House of Representatives has passed another measure related to the proposed IANA functions transition, and has again attached it to “must pass” legislation. This move ups the ante and may well be the final straw that compels the Senate Commerce Committee to hold its own oversight hearing on the IANA transition proposal. On May …

ICANN: Contention Sets and New gTLD Auctions

Depending on the person, the word auction can bring to mind a dusty, hot structure full of livestock and a fast-talking announcer with a Western lilt to his voice or a cool, quiet room of well-dressed art patrons waiting for the next Impressionist masterpiece to be unveiled in a stately building on the Upper East …

House of Representatives passes DOTCOM Act, Rubio Leads Senate Call for IANA Oversight Hearings

The Shimkus Amendment to the $601 billion National Defense Authorization Act (HR 4435) passed the House of Representatives on May 22nd by a mostly partisan vote of 245–177. While all 228 Republicans present and voting supported the amendment only 17 Democrats voted “aye”, with 177 in opposition. Final passage on the entire bill was a …

Senators Seek Hearing On ICANN Hand-off, Say they are concerned about transitioning oversight of domain name functions

Led by Senate Commerce Committee members Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), nine Republican senators have asked the chairman and ranking member of the committee to hold a hearing on the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s planned transition of some Internet domain name (ICANN) functions to a multistakeholder model. That came the same day that the …

US House of Representatives Votes to Protect Future of the Internet, Supports Rep. John Shimkus’s DOTCOM Act

Committee Worked to Include DOTCOM Act in Must-Pass Defense Authorization WASHINGTON, DC– The House of Representatives on May 22, 2014 voted to protect the future of the Internet by agreeing to Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-IL) amendment to the National Defense Authorization bill that mirrors language from the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act …