TMCnet News
Jones Cosponsors Bill to Protect Internet Freedom(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) WASHINGTON, April 4 -- Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C. (3rd CD), issued the following news release: Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) cosponsored the Internet Stewardship Act (H.R. 4367), legislation to prohibit President Barack Obama from transferring control of vital Internet functions to a currently-undefined body of international organizations and foreign governments - including those with authoritarian regimes that have taken active steps to thwart Internet freedom. The Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced in March that the U.S. would give up control of the Internet function that stores all website names and addresses as well as the Internet and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), which controls Web addresses and domains. Relinquishing these controls would open the door for foreign governments to censor and remove certain information for political reasons. Congressman Jones has cosponsored legislation to reaffirm that the executive branch has no constitutional authority to transfer these vital Internet functions without congressional approval. "The beauty of the Internet lies in the vast wealth of information that it makes available to individuals around the world," said Congressman Jones. "We cannot allow politically-motivated authoritarian regimes to pick and choose what information is acceptable for the public to access. Furthermore, this represents yet another incident of President Obama abusing his executive power and denying the constitutional authority of Congress." TNS 30TacordaCheng-140404-4693282 30TacordaCheng (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |