ICANN INTERNET GOVERNANCE: IS IT WORKING? HEARING Serial No. 109-142
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ICANN INTERNET GOVERNANCE: IS IT WORKING? HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET OF THE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 Serial No. 109-142 Printed for the use of the Committee on Energy and Commerce Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 31-468PDF WASHINGTON : 2006 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE JOE BARTON, Texas, Chairman RALPH M. HALL, Texas JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida Ranking Member Vice Chairman HENRY A. WAXMAN, California FRED UPTON, Michigan EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts CLIFF STEARNS, Florida RICK BOUCHER, Virginia PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York NATHAN DEAL, Georgia FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey ED WHITFIELD, Kentucky SHERROD BROWN, Ohio CHARLIE NORWOOD, Georgia BART GORDON, Tennessee BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois JOHN SHIMKUS, Illinois ANNA G. ESHOO, California HEATHER WILSON, New Mexico BART STUPAK, Michigan JOHN B. SHADEGG, Arizona ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York CHARLES W. “CHIP” PICKERING, Mississippi ALBERT R. WYNN, Maryland Vice Chairman GENE GREEN, Texas VITO FOSSELLA, New York TED STRICKLAND, Ohio ROY BLUNT, Missouri DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado STEVE BUYER, Indiana LOIS CAPPS, California GEORGE RADANOVICH, California MIKE DOYLE, Pennsylvania CHARLES F. BASS, New Hampshire TOM ALLEN, Maine JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania JIM DAVIS, Florida MARY BONO, California JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois GREG WALDEN, Oregon HILDA L. SOLIS, California LEE TERRY, Nebraska CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas MIKE FERGUSON, New Jersey JAY INSLEE, Washington MIKE ROGERS, Michigan TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, Idaho MIKE ROSS, Arkansas SUE MYRICK, North Carolina JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania MICHAEL C. BURGESS, Texas MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee BUD ALBRIGHT, Staff Director DAVID CAVICKE, General Counsel REID P. F. STUNTZ, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION CLIFF STEARNS, Florida, Chairman FRED UPTON, Michigan JAN SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois NATHAN DEAL, Georgia Ranking Member BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming MIKE ROSS, Arkansas GEORGE RADANOVICH, California EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts CHARLES F. BASS, New Hampshire EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania SHERROD BROWN, Ohio MARY BONO, California BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois LEE TERRY, Nebraska GENE GREEN, Texas MIKE FERGUSON, New Jersey TED STRICKLAND, Ohio MIKE ROGERS, Michigan DIANA DEGETTE, Colorado C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, Idaho JIM DAVIS, Florida SUE MYRICK, North Carolina CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas TIM MURPHY, Pennsylvania TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan JOE BARTON, Texas (EX OFFICIO) (EX OFFICIO) (II) SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET FRED UPTON, Michigan, Chairman MICHAEL BILIRAKIS, Florida EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts CLIFF STEARNS, Florida Ranking Member PAUL E. GILLMOR, Ohio ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York ED WHITFIELD, Kentucky ALBERT R. WYNN, Maryland BARBARA CUBIN, Wyoming MIKE DOYLE, Pennsylvania JOHN SHIMKUS, Illinois CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas HEATHER WILSON, New Mexico JAY INSLEE, Washington CHARLES W. “CHIP” PICKERING, Mississippi RICK BOUCHER, Virginia VITO FOSSELLA, New York EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York GEORGE RADANOVICH, California FRANK PALLONE, JR., New Jersey CHARLES F. BASS, New Hampshire SHERROD BROWN, Ohio GREG WALDEN, Oregon BART GORDON, Tennessee LEE TERRY, Nebraska BOBBY L. RUSH, Illinois MIKE FERGUSON, New Jersey ANNA G. ESHOO, California JOHN SULLIVAN, Oklahoma BART STUPAK, Michigan MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee JOHN D. DINGELL, Michigan JOE BARTON, Texas (EX OFFICIO) (EX OFFICIO) (III) CONTENTS Page Testimony of: Kneuer, John M.R., Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, United States Department of Commerce ...................................................................... 14 Twomey, Dr. Paul, President and Chief Executive Officer, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ...................................................................................... 19 DelBianco, Steve, Vice President for Public Policy, Association for Competitive Technology, on behalf of NetChoice Coalition............................................................. 25 Lenard, Thomas M., Senior Vice President for Research, The Progress & Freedom Foundation...................................................................................................................... 37 Feld, Harold, Senior Vice President, Media Access Project .............................................. 42 Bohannon, Mark, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Software & Information Industry Association .............................................................................. 61 Additional material submitted for the record: Kneuer, John M.R., Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, United States Department of Commerce, response for the record ............................... 93 Twomey, Dr. Paul, President and Chief Executive Officer, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, response for the record ............................................... 95 DelBianco, Steve, Vice President for Public Policy, Association for Competitive Technology, on behalf of NetChoice Coalition, response for the record...................... 98 Lenard, Thomas M., Senior Vice President for Research, The Progress & Freedom Foundation, response for the record............................................................................... 101 Feld, Harold, Senior Vice President, Media Access Project, response for the record ....... 102 Bohannon, Mark, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Public Policy, Software & Information Industry Association, response for the record....................................... 103 (V) ICANN INTERNET GOVERNANCE: IS IT WORKING? THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2006 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, TRADE, AND CONSUMER PROTECTION, AND SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET, Washington, DC. The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 2:18 p.m., in Room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Fred Upton [Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet] presiding. Members Present: Representatives Upton, Stearns, Shimkus, Terry, Markey, Wynn, Gonzalez, Inslee, Eshoo, Murphy, Green and Dingell (ex officio). Staff Present: Kelly Cole, Counsel; Howard Waltzman, Chief Counsel, Telecommunications and the Internet; Chris Leahy, Policy Coordinator; Brian McCullough, Professional Staff Member; Billy Harvard, Legislative Clerk; Anh Nguyen, Legislative Clerk; Johanna Shelton, Minority Counsel; and Alec Gerlach, Minority Research and Press Assistant. MR. UPTON. Good afternoon. Today, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, in conjunction with the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, chaired by Mr. Stearns, will examine, ICANN Internet governance: Is it working? I would like to note that, on a cold February afternoon in 2001, I convened my first hearing as Chairman of the Telecommunications Subcommittee. And the subject that day was ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The focus that afternoon was protecting our kids on the Internet, and the law creating the new dot kids site with the dot U.S. country code Internet domain was a product of that very first hearing. While much has changed since February 2001, there continues to remain constants when it comes to ICANN Internet governance, one of which is the Department of Commerce’s oversight. Commerce continues to have a role regarding oversight of ICANN, and I am quite pleased to (1) 2 hear and read that the Memo of Understanding was extended beyond September 30th. I am anxious to hear the terms of that agreement. As we discuss the issues this afternoon surrounding ICANN, I am particularly interested in details as they relate to some of the complaints. While some believe that the U.N. should assume control of ICANN, there are too many red flags for me to ignore. Although some have complained about the lack of transparency of ICANN, moving its function to the U.N. is no way to fix the problem. In fact, it will likely make it worse. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today as they give their thoughts on how to move forward. Allowing ICANN to continue to develop under the watchful eye of the Department of Commerce is not only the right thing to do but the most prudent action as well. The stakes are too high. I yield back my time. And I would recognize the Ranking Member of the full committee, the gentleman from the great state of Michigan, Mr. Dingell. [The prepared statement of Hon. Fred Upton follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HON. FRED UPTON, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND THE INTERNET Good afternoon. Today, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, in conjunction with the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, will examine “ICANN Internet Governance: Is it Working?” I would like to note that, on a cold February