Senators Accuse Agency of Violating Law in Giving up US Oversight of the Internet

 

InternetU.S. Sen. James Lankford and two others want some answers from the Obama administration over its possible violation of federal law in using federal funds to relinquish the U.S. oversight of the Internet.

He joined Texas Sen. ted Cruz and Utah Senator Mike Lee in sending a letter to National Telecommunications and Information Administration Assistant Secretary Lawrence Strickling. The letter pointed out how Section 539 of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus says none of the money made available by the act can be used to relinquish the responsibility of the NTIA with regard to the Internet.

“We believe that NTIA has violated that prohibition by funding projects whose only conceivable purpose is to facilitate the proposed transition of responsibility to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers,” wrote the senators. They believe the Obama administration wants to transfer the Department of Commerce’s Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions to the international authority.

Senators Lankford, Cruz and Lee have been fighting the move for months stating they believe it could empower countries like China and Iran to engage in more censorship in the U.S. and across the globe. In their letter, they demand information regarding travel and meetings held by NTIA employees for the purpose of planning the transition. They want an itemized accounting of federal funds on the program and want it by June 28.