ICYMI: Conservative Stalwarts Affirm Cruz's Efforts to Save Internet Freedom
Conservative Action Project calls for congressional action to stop Obama's Internet handover
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 108 conservative leaders with the Conservative Action Project (CAP), including former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, CAP Chairwoman Becky Norton Dunlop, Media Research Center founder and president Brent Bozell, ForAmerica president David Bozell, and Heritage Action CEO Michael Needham, among others, issued a memo calling on Congress to stop President Obama’s Internet handover before it goes into effect on October 1. The conservative group also praised Sen. Cruz’s and Rep. Duffy’s Protecting Internet Freedom Act, which will ensure protection of Internet freedom by prohibiting the current contract from expiring.
“…The internet has become the foundation of international commerce for one reason. It operates under the protection of American legal, cultural, and political freedoms,” the memo reads. “…Perhaps none of Mr. Obama’s actions during his two terms will do as irreparable damage to our national security as his transferring the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the foreign government-controlled Internet Corporations for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on October 1, 2016.”
The memo continues, “Congress must take action before October 1 in order to preserve the independence of the world wide web that has been such a blessing to the world. We believe that it is our duty to hold every Member of Congress, House or Senate, Democrat or Republican individually responsible should they allow Mr. Obama to unilaterally take this brazen step in disregard of Congressional mandates.”
Read the CAP memo in its entirety here and below:
September 12, 2016
Washington, D.C.
“We bought it, we paid for it, we built it, and we intend to keep it.”
Ronald Reagan, March 31, 1976, recommending that the (now Chinese controlled) canal in Panama not be tossed away.
Governor Reagan was referring to only one strategic American asset.
On October 1, 2016, President Barack Obama will hand to Iran, China, Russia, and others control of perhaps America's single greatest strategic asset - the world wide web known as the internet.
The internet has become the foundation of international commerce for one reason. It operates under the protection of American legal, cultural, and political freedoms.
Totalitarian regimes have sought to block access to the internet within their borders. However, America's Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech has allowed even disfavored websites to be accessed via often difficult, but possible work-arounds.
Forces around the globe desire to control this medium. Shut down its fairness. Steal its commercial communications and secrets.
Perhaps none of Mr. Obama's actions during his two terms will do as irreparable damage to our national security as his transferring the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the foreign government-controlled Internet Corporations for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on October 1, 2016.
Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States clearly states that only "The Congress shall have power to dispose of ... property belonging to the United States." Twice Congress has passed, and the President has signed, legislation to prevent Mr. Obama from using funds to transfer the Internet to foreign control.
The Protecting Internet Freedom Act by Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Sean Duffy will ensure the continued protection of internet freedom by prohibiting the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) from allowing the IANA functions contract to expire. It will ensure that the United States maintains sole ownership of the .gov and .mil top-level domains, which are vital to national security.
Congress must take action before October 1 in order to preserve the independence of the world wide web that has been such a blessing to the world.
We believe that it is our duty to hold every Member of Congress, House or Senate, Democrat or Republican individually responsible should they allow Mr. Obama to unilaterally take this brazen step in disregard of Congressional mandates.
No other nation would even consider discarding such a valuable strategic asset.
In the next few days we will have the names of those in Washington who are there to protect America and those who are not.
###
