JULY 1, 2015
Senate Commerce Committee urged to support Cruz Amendment to Dotcom Act
FAIRFAX, Va. – Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today in a letter urged the Senate Commerce Committee to adopt an amendment to the Dotcom Act by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would require an up or down vote in Congress to complete any transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA):
"Without the Cruz amendment, the Dotcom Act unwittingly authorizes the surrender of these critical Internet functions from U.S. government contract to foreign powers before anyone including the Senate has even seen the final proposal for how the transition will work – and all the American people will get in return is a meaningless certification from NTIA that all will be well with the Internet transfer.
"The U.S. government has ensured a free and open Internet since the late 1990s, and to so cavalierly give it away without a backup plan is reckless, and will be a decision we very soon come to regret."
