Sen. Cruz: This Internet Transition Poses Real Risks to Liberties of Americans
Chairs hearing on Obama's radical proposal to give away oversight of the Internet on October 1
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today chaired a Judiciary Subcommittee hearing examining the dangerous implications of President Obama’s plan to give oversight of the Internet away to the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), consisting of international corporations, civil society groups, and more than 160 foreign countries.
During the hearing, Sen. Cruz and expert witnesses shared serious concerns about this Internet handover, including the risk of increased censorship and loss of free speech online, possible legal repercussions, and national security vulnerabilities.
“In my judgment, the most powerful and most troubling testimony we heard today was that it was indisputable that this administration’s transition, if it went forward, would increase the power of foreign governments, including Russia and China and Iran, and decrease the power of the United States of America, which is the only entity bound by and able to fight to vindicate the First Amendment,” Sen. Cruz said in his closing remarks. “…The Internet is working, and this [transition] is a solution in search of a problem that poses real risks to the liberties of Americans. And so it is my hope that Congress continues to exercise its Article I authority to protect free speech on the Internet, to keep the Internet free of the coercive authority of foreign governments that would love nothing more than to silence and censor free speech.”
The hearing featured two panels of witnesses. The first panel included Assistant Commerce Secretary Lawrence E. Strickling, an appointee of President Obama, and ICANN’s CEO and President Göran Marby. The second witness panel included Ms. J. Beckwith “Becky” Burr, Mr. Steve DelBianco, Ms. Dawn Grove, Mr. John Horton, Mr. Paul Rosenzweig, Mr. Berin Szoka, and Mr. Jonathan Zuck.
Sen. Cruz’s exchanges with the first panel of witnesses may be viewed here, here, and here.
Watch Sen. Cruz’s exchanges with the second panel of witnesses here and here.
Sen. Cruz’s opening statement in its entirety may be viewed here.
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