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IP: ICANN-Verisign deal must be investigated --House Commerce cmte
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 01:56:36 -0500
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 10:20:41 -0500 To: politech () politechbot com From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com> *********** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ken Johnson or Pete Sheffield Friday, March 30, 2001 202-225-5735 Tauzin Calls for Review of ICANN Contract Negotiations WASHINGTON (March 30) Rep. Billy Tauzin, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today released a letter from a bipartisan group of Energy and Commerce Committee members to the Department of Commerce Secretary Donald Evans requesting a thorough review of the contract negotiations between VeriSign and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ). # # # The Honorable Donald Evans Secretary U.S. Department of Commerce 14th and Constitution Avenues, NW Washington, DC 20230 Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to you concerning the U.S. Commerce Department s role in reviewing the recently announced renegotiation of a 1999 contract between VeriSign and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ). As you know, the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet recently held an oversight hearing on ICANN s process for creating new top-level domains and its role in Internet governance. That hearing raised questions about ICANN s domain name selection process and whether it afforded adequate due process to applicants. We remain committed to ensuring a competitive and transparent domain name system that promotes the interests of the U.S. economy and global Internet policy and we are eager to work with the Bush Administration toward these goals. We understand that ICANN has chosen to renegotiate its arrangement with VeriSign. Specifically, if approved by the Department of Commerce and the ICANN Board, the new agreement would eliminate the 1999 requirement that VeriSign divest either its retail (registrar) or wholesale (registry) business. Further, the revised agreement would provide VeriSign with an additional six year term for the .com registry, with a presumption of renewal, would allow VeriSign to extend the .net registry term to 2006, and would require VeriSign to relinquish control of the .org registry in 2002. Without taking a position on the propriety of the revised agreement, we want to ensure that any actions by ICANN support and encourage strong, vibrant competition. Accordingly, we respectfully request that the Department fully analyze the competitive issues that arise as a result of this agreement. Further, as Mr. Cerf, Chairman of ICANN, said during our February hearing, ICANN is a consensus development body which requires that major decisions affecting the future of the Internet be done in an open and transparent manner. Therefore, we urge you to exercise your oversight authority to ensure that ICANN s final decision in this matter is made and implemented in a transparent fashion. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Please keep us apprised of developments in this area. Sincerely, W.J. Billy Tauzin John D. Dingell Chairman Ranking Member Committee on Energy and Commerce Committee on Energy and Commerce Fred Upton Edward J. Markey Chairman Ranking Member Subcommittee on Telecommunications Subcommittee on Telecommunications and and the Internet the Internet cc: Vinton G. Cerf, Chairman, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers --- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- IP: ICANN-Verisign deal must be investigated --House Commerce cmte David Farber (Mar 30)