Today, there were two events devoted to Internet governance in Washington, D.C.  The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation organized “Passing the Torch: How will Internet Governance Change in a Post-American World.”  This event included as a panelist Chris Wilson from 21st Century Fox, an SIIA member.   Afterwards, the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee arranged a hearing on “Privatizing the Internet Assigned Number Authority,” which included an all-star cast of witnesses. Why the upsurge in interest?  The March 10 decision by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board to transmit to the U.S. government a set of proposals to transfer to multistakeholder oversight the functioning of Internet’s address system, the Doman Name Server (DNS) system is the reason.  SIIA welcomed that decision.  The proposals are serious, thorough and have been developed through a ...

Yesterday, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it is extending the contract between the Commerce Department and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to perform the Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA) functions.  The contract will be extended by one year from September 30, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

On Wednesday, Congress will take a look at how to Preserve the Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance.  The Senate Commerce Committee hearing comes one year after the Commerce Department National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) proposed a plan to transfer control over key Internet mechanisms maintained by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to a multistakeholder managed entity.

SIIA applauds Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) for their resolution calling for the designation of the week of February 8 as “Internet Governance Awareness Week.”  By passing this measure, the Senate would continue its oversight of the Administration’s proposed transfer of control over key Internet mechanisms maintained by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Yesterday, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Lawrence E. Strickling delivered an important address at the State of the Net Conference.  The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) agrees with the questions Strickling posed regarding the Internet Assigned Names Authority (IANA) transition and the comments he made regarding Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accountability.  Our view is that to achieve the ambitious goals the Assistant Secretary will require disciplined focus and attention.

SIIA Submits Statement on Copyright First Sale for the House IP Subcommittee Hearing