Privatizing The Internet

The U.S. Just Took One Step Closer to Privatizing a Core Part of the Internet

Brian Fung | June 9, 2016

[...] Senior officials from the Commerce Department announced Thursday that they've approved a pending proposal aimed at offloading oversight of the Internet's name-and-address system to an international body made up of technologists, businesses, governments and public interest advocates.
It's a move that's filled with symbolism: Supporters say it reflects the fulfillment of a longstanding promise by the United States to keep the Web an open place where no single government, corporation or other entity can singlehandedly influence how the Internet evolves. Opponents say it's a risky bid to win goodwill abroad and lacks enough safeguards to prevent authoritarian regimes from seizing control of the California-based organization, known as ICANN, or the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Source: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20160317/104682/HHRG-114-IF16-20160317-SD003.pdf

<more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/09/the-u-s-just-took-one-step-closer-to-privatizing-a-core-part-of-the-internet/; related articles and links: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/technology/254566-november-2016-elections-will-determine-fate-of-internet (November 2016 elections will determine fate of Internet privatization. September 23, 2015) and http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20160317/104682/HHRG-114-IF16-20160317-SD003.pdf (Privatizing the Internet Assigned Number Authority. March 17, 2016)>