Sen. Cruz Questions NTIA's Strickling, ICANN's Marby & Witnesses (videos)

For your viewing pleasure or edification this weekend, watch video replays of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz taking on all comers--Obama administration NTIA's Larry Strickling, ICANN CEO Goran Marby and in absentia former ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade, as well as the ICANN "multistakeholder community" including U.S. tech giants Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.--only in America! 

So get out the popcorn, or your favorite beverage, kickback and enjoy, laugh, cry, rant or cheer, depending on your perspective, as the champion debater from Princeton University and Harvard Law School (Cruz was editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude), plays the leading role of internet savior and hero, or villain, again depending on your perspective!

Videos below courtesy of Senator Cruz and YouTube.com, published Sept. 14, 2016. For more background and perspectives see: Ted Cruz has made an obscure Internet agency his first post-presidential crusade | WashingtonPost.com and these Domain Mondo posts:

• Tweets and Post-hearing Notes re: Cruz Hearing on IANA Transition 16 Sep 2016
• U.S. Senator Ted Cruz vs ICANN and IANA Transition: Veni, Vidi, Vici ? 15 Sep
• IANA Transition Hearing: Implications of Ending US Oversight of the Internet 14 Sep
• IANA Transition's Unanswered Questions Require An Extension? 13 Sep
• News Review: IANA Transition Drama in D.C. and ICANN & Zika 11 Sep
• ICANN Answers Questions About The IANA Stewardship Transition 10 Sep
• US Senator Cruz Attacks ICANN, Fadi Chehadé, IANA Transition (video) 09 Sep

Newsclip introduction by Fox News sets the scene--"ICYMI: FNC's Special Report Covers Cruz Hearing on Obama's Internet Giveaway"--

Sen. Cruz Questions NTIA Assistant Secretary Strickling:

Sen. Cruz Questions ICANN's CEO & President Marby - Part 2:

Sen. Cruz Questions Witnesses at Internet Freedom Subcommittee Hearing - Part 3:

Sen. Cruz Questions Witnesses at Internet Freedom Subcommittee Hearing - Part 4:

Sen. Cruz Questions Witnesses at Internet Freedom Subcommittee Hearing - Part 5:

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DISCLAIMER

IANA Transition Hearing: Implications of Ending US Oversight of the Internet

L to R: Senator Ted Cruz; ICANN CEO Göran Marby

"... a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, chaired by Senator Cruz (a skeptic of the transition), will have a hearing on Wednesday at which both the [Obama] Administration and the new CEO of ICANN will appear. (I will be testifying as well, but on the second panel—the fireworks will be on the first panel, I'm sure.) What will come of this?  Only time will tell."--Paul Rosenzweig, The ICANN and IANA Transition End Game | LawfareBlog.com (emphasis added)

The IANA Stewardship Transition will be complete on October 1, 2016, unless House and Senate Republicans are successful in their effort to delay the transition and extend the IANA functions contract which will otherwise expire September 30, 2016. The Wednesday hearing was called by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, the Subcommittee Chair, who opposes the IANA Stewardship Transition.

Hearing | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts: Protecting Internet Freedom: Implications of Ending U.S. Oversight of the Internet 

Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 Time: 10:00 AM EDT | LIVE video replay
Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building 226, Washington, D.C.
Presiding: Chairman Cruz

Witnesses:
Panel I
The Honorable Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary For Communications And Information And Administrator
National Telecommunications And Information Administration (NTIA)
United States Department Of Commerce
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Mr. Göran Marby
CEO And President
Internet Corporation For Assigned Names And Numbers (ICANN)
Los Angeles, CA
Download Testimony (pdf)

Panel II
Mr. Berin Szoka
President
TechFreedom
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Mr. Jonathan Zuck
President
ACT The App Association
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Ms. Dawn GroveCorporate Counsel
Karsten Manufacturing
Phoenix, AZ
Download Testimony (pdf)

Ms. J. Beckwith ("Becky") Burr
Deputy General Counsel And Chief Privacy Officer
Neustar
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Mr. John Horton
President And CEO
LegitScript
Portland, Oregon
Download Testimony (pdf)

Mr. Steve DelBianco
Executive Director
NetChoice
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Mr. Paul Rosenzweig
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary For Policy
U.S. Department Of Homeland Security
Washington, DC
Download Testimony (pdf)

Subcommittee members
Republicans:
Senator Cruz, Chair
Senator Grassley
Senator Hatch
Senator Sessions
Senator Flake
Senator Graham
Senator Lee
Senator Vitter
Democrats:
Senator Coons, Ranking Member
Senator Feinstein
Senator Durbin
Senator Schumer
Senator Whitehouse
Senator Klobuchar
Senator Blumenthal

Member Statements: Senator Chuck Grassley R (IA) Download Statement (pdf)

See on Domain Mondo:

• IANA Transition's Unanswered Questions Require An Extension?
• News Review [11Sep]: IANA Transition Drama in D.C. ... 
• Senate & House Chairmen's Letter to Attorney General & Commerce Sec.
• US Senator Cruz Attacks ICANN, Fadi Chehadé, IANA Transition (video)
• ICANN Answers Questions About The IANA Stewardship Transition

See also:  U.S. GAO - Department of Commerce--Property Implications of Proposed Transition of U.S. Government Oversight of Key Internet Technical Functions | gao.gov Sep 12, 2016: "... we find it is unlikely that either the authoritative root zone file or the Internet domain name system is U.S. Government property under Article IV.  We also find that the possible U.S. property interests that we have identified either would not be disposed of in connection with the proposed transition or would be disposed of in compliance with Article IV."

and U.S. GAO - National Telecommunications and Information Administration--Effect of Section 539 of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 on Amounts Appropriated Under a Continuing Resolution | gao.gov Sep 12, 2016: "... Section 539(b) provides that “Notwithstanding any other law, subsection (a) of this section shall not apply in fiscal year 2017.” However, section 539(b) would have no effect on the applicability of the prohibition contained in section 539(a) to funds appropriated by a typical continuing resolution. Therefore, NTIA could not use amounts appropriated under a continuing resolution to relinquish its responsibilities with respect to the Internet domain name system. However, during fiscal year 2017, section 539(b) extinguishes the prohibition of section 539(a) for any balances of the two-year appropriations (for fiscal years 2016 and 2017) enacted under the 2016 Appropriation that remain available for obligation in fiscal year 2017. Thus in fiscal year 2017 [beginning October 1, 2016] NTIA could use unobligated balances appropriated by the 2016 Appropriation to relinquish these responsibilities." (emphasis added)

and Comments on ICANN reform and the Stewardship Transition submitted by Milton Mueller, Internet Governance Project to the Senate Judiciary Committee, subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, September 14, 2016 (pdf).


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DISCLAIMER

U.S. House Subcommittee, IANA Transition Hearing, March 17th Video

      After the Chairman's opening, a recess occurs, the hearing resumes at 48:40 (10:59:11 AM)

The U.S. House Commerce and Energy Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on the IANA stewardship transition, Thursday, March 17, 2016, at 10:15 a.m. EDT (time converter) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.; the hearing is entitled “Privatizing the Internet Assigned Number Authority.”

UPDATE: Opening Statement by Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (highlighting added):


Committee Leaders Acknowledge Progress On Internet Transition Proposal | Energy and Commerce Committee: March 10, 2016 Press Release: WASHINGTON, DC – "House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), and Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) today acknowledged the multistakeholder community’s proposal to transition stewardship of the Internet Assigned Number Authority from the U.S. government to the Internet community. The committee has been actively engaged in the future of the Internet. “This transition proposal marks a major milestone in the history of the Internet. We thank the entire multistakeholder community for their hard work and attention to this important task,” said Upton, Walden, and Shimkus. "Now we in the U.S. government must do our work. We look forward to reviewing the proposal and to the thoughtful analysis from NTIA as we look to whether this proposal meets the U.S. government's requirements for the transition and the needs of the American people. This final step of removing U.S. government oversight of the IANA functions is irreversible and we must be sure the transition will not harm the Internet or the millions of Americans that rely on it. There are no do-overs. Once the U.S. relinquishes its role in IANA, that’s it, there’s no going back. We must get it right." On Thursday, March 17th, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing on "Privatizing the Internet Assigned Number Authority” to begin consideration of the proposal. The subcommittee will hear from a cross-section of stakeholders that participated in the development of the proposal." (emphasis added)

Subcommittee Background memo:

Witnesses:

Dr. Alissa Cooper
Chair, IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

Mr. Steve DelBianco
Executive Director, NetChoice
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

The Honorable David A. Gross
Former U.S. Coordinator, International Communications and Informational Policy, Wiley Rein LLP
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

Ms. Audrey Plonk
Director, Global Security and Internet Governance Policy, Intel Corporation
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

Mr. Matthew Shears
Representative and Director, Global Internet Policy and Human Rights Project
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

Ms. Sally Shipman Wentworth
Vice President, Global Policy Development, Internet Society
Witness Statement
Truth in Testimony and CV

IANA Transition Timeline in Audrey Plonk prepared testimony

Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) has previously announced that the subcommittee will continue its oversight of the administration’s work to transition certain oversight functions of the Internet to "multi-stakeholder governance." “We will continue to exercise our oversight over the administration’s effort to transition its oversight of the Domain Name System to ensure that the Internet remains free and open for all users.” 

More information: https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearings-and-votes and Communications and Technology Subcommittee. Twitter: @HouseCommerce | YouTube channel.

See also on DomainMondo.com:

• News Review: ICANN, IANA Transition Plan, NTIA, and U.S. Congress
• ICANN President & CEO Fadi Chehade's Last Letter to Dilma Rousseff
• How ICANN and ICANN CEO Fadi Chehadé Evade Accountability

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DISCLAIMER

ICANN Board Transmits IANA Transition Plan, What Happens Next?

Now that the IANA stewardship transition plan has been transmitted by the ICANN Board of Directors to the U.S. Department of Commerce (NTIA), what will happen once the plan is received in Washington, D.C.? Read the remarks of Larry Strickling, NTIA (excerpt and in full below), at the ICANN-GAC Meeting, Marrrakech--

Lawrence E. Strickling, NTIA

Remarks of Larry Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, at the ICANN GAC High Level Governmental Meeting, Marrakech, Morocco, on March 7, 2016, (emphasis added)--

"I am pleased to be here today at the third GAC High Level Governmental Meeting ... Assuming final approval of the plan by chartering organizations in the next couple of days, we expect the [ICANN] Board to transmit the proposal to us this week. Once we receive the transition proposal, we will review it, hopefully within 90 days, to ensure it meets the criteria we outlined when we announced the transition. Let me remind all of you of the specific conditions that we said that the plan must satisfy. First, the proposal must support and enhance the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, in that it should be developed by the multistakeholder community and have broad community support. More specifically, we will not accept a transition proposal that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led or intergovernmental organization solution. Second, the proposal must maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the domain name system. Third, it must meet the needs and expectations of the global customers and partners of the IANA services. And finally, it must maintain the openness of the Internet. As promptly as we can, we will carefully evaluate the proposal and measure it against the criteria. In this effort, we will be joined by other agencies of the U.S. government that will be impacted by the transition. We will also follow the recommendations of the U.S. General Accountability Office. The U.S. Congress has a strong interest in this proposal and we expect Congress to closely monitor and review the proposal as well as our evaluation of the plan...."

Full remarks of Ass't Sec. Strickling:

Note: Implementation has already started within ICANN in anticipation the plan will be approved--read more at ICANN: IANA Stewardship Transition Implementation.

Also note the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee has scheduled an IANA Transition Hearing for March 17.

See on Domain Mondo:

• US Senators Cruz, Lankford, Lee's New Letter to ICANN Chairman re: China
• ICANN55: IANA Transition Plan, Sexual Harrassment, ICANN New gTLDs
• IANA Stewardship Transition, New ICANN CCWG Accountability Timeline

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DISCLAIMER

Two Congressional Hearings Wednesday on ICANN and IANA Transition

On Wednesday, May 13th, the U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, is holding two subcommittee hearings on ICANN, ICANN Accountability, and the IANA Stewardship Transition:

Hearing #1: The Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. EDT (Time Converter) in 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. The hearing is entitled: Stakeholder Perspectives on ICANN: The .Sucks Domain and Essential Steps to Guarantee Trust and Accountability in the Internet’s Operation. The hearing will be webcast at:
http://www.domainmondo.com/2015/05/us-hearing-wednesday-icann-sucks-iana.html

The Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet hearing will examine stakeholders perspectives on the operation of ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a non-profit California corporation, charged with managing the Internet’s domain name and addressing system. The hearing will focus on the rollout of the new .sucks domain name and the Obama Administration’s proposal to transition oversight of the Domain Name System (DNS) away from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Hearing #2: The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. EDT (Time Converter) in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.  The hearing is entitled: “Stakeholder Perspectives on the IANA Transition.” The hearing webcast: http://www.domainmondo.com/2015/05/us-congressional-hearing-live-2-pm.html

For more information on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing:
http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20150513/103448/HHRG-114-IF16-20150513-SD003.pdf

See also: Congress keeps pressing ICANN - POLITICO: "The Judiciary hearing will focus on trust and accountability of ICANN, and the hearing title calls out one current issue in particular: the “.sucks” top-level domain name. In April, ICANN asked American and Canadian trade regulators to investigate Vox Populi, a Canadian company that holds the rights to sell domain names ending in “.sucks,” to see if it is exploiting brands and celebrities by charging them high rates for domain names.... [The Communications and Technology] hearing will feature stakeholders talking about the government’s plans to transition away from a formal oversight role. Panel members will also review the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act, a plan by Rep. John Shimkus to put the transition on hold for a year while the Government Accountability Office reviews potential consequences."


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