Schatz Slams Efforts to Block IANA Transition

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, released the following statement in response to recent efforts to block the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) transition.

“It’s shocking that there is anyone in the Congress who wants to restrict the freedom of the internet by opposing the IANA transition.  Their opposition flies in the face of the U.S. business and tech communities, our international partners, and those who created the internet, who all are united in supporting concluding this transition in order to preserve the internet as we know it – an open and global platform for free speech, innovation, and commerce.

“The internet is by its nature a “network of networks” that exists solely because millions of stakeholders and users continue to agree that a free and open internet is essential and that the multistakeholder approach to global internet governance works.

“Senator Cruz’s proposal to delay or stop the transition of the IANA functions to the global multistakeholder community would undermine our nation’s commitment to the free and open internet.”