This correspondence sent by the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
(House Committee on Energy and Commerce subcommittee) more or less indicts ICANN
for a lack of transparency in the selection process for the recent new TLDS. This
is the Subcommittee people would do well to e-mail and lobby, outlining in detail
the failures we feel Afilias and ICANN have presided over, so that this committee
and the House are left in no doubt of the need FOR GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY and CONTROL
of ICANN.I'll post contact details later, but the list of the whole subcommittee
is pasted at the foot of this correspondence, and you can click on the URL to explore
the Subcommittee webpages for yourself:
Internet Corporation For Assigned Names
And Numbers (ICANN) Process For Selecting New Internet Top Level Domain Names (Tlds)
August 6, 2001
To The Honorable Donald L. Evans
Secretary
Department
of Commerce
14th & Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20230
Dear Secretary
Evans:
We are writing with respect to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) process for selecting new Internet Top Level Domain Names (TLDs).
We are heartened that you share our views, as reflected in your May 25, 2001 letter,
encouraging ICANN to expeditiously initiate a new TLD round.
During the Committee’s
February 8, 2001 hearing in the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee,
we heard from applicants who had submitted proposals for new TLDs but were passed
over by ICANN during its most recent round of TLD selections. Many of these proposed
TLDs, such as ".travel," and ".web," appear to offer both innovation and a framework
for increased competition.
In addition, there is pending in the Telecommunications
and the Internet Subcommittee a bill that would require the Department of Commerce
to negotiate with ICANN to chose an entity to operate a ".kids" domain. ".kids" would
provide a safe place for children to access the Internet, a goal we all strongly
support. We believe there is a clear desire being expressed by businesses, citizens
and Members of Congress to see some true diversity in the current TLD environment.
With
the demand for new domain names by businesses and consumers outpacing supply, we
support your efforts in encouraging ICANN to speed their TLD selection process. We
expect that ICANN will act without discrimination or bias against any worthy applicant,
including those applicants from the last selection round as well as those organizations
that have opted to utilize alternative roots to propagate their TLDs.
During our
February 8th hearing, the Subcommittee Members and witnesses stated that the current
TLD selection process was in need of revision. We believe that the process should
be based on established objective criteria and be carried out in a transparent process
with clear accountability and processes for redress. These factors should be taken
into account as ICANN moves forward with the selection of new TLDs. We ask that the
Department of Commerce continue to closely monitor this process. The Committee on
Energy and Commerce, for its part, expects to hold more hearings throughout this
Congress to monitor ICANN’s progress.
We would appreciate periodic updates by your
Department. Please contact any or all of us, or have your staff contact Kelly Zerzan,
Majority Counsel at (202) 226-2424, Will Nordwind, Subcommittee Counsel at (202)
225-2927, Brendan Kelsay, Minority Professional Staff at (202) 226-3400, or Colin
Crowell, Legislative Assistant for Rep. Markey at (202) 225-2836, should you have
any questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you further on this important
issue.
Sincerely,
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin
Chairman
Committee on Energy
and Commerce John D. Dingell
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and
Commerce
Fred Upton
Chairman
Subcommittee on Telecommunications Subcommittee
on Telecommunications and the Internet Edward J. Markey
Ranking Member
Subcommittee
on Telecommunications Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
WJT/kz
***************************
LIST
of members of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet:
The House
Committee on Energy and Commerce :
SUBCOMMITTEE on TELECOMMUNICATIONS and the INTERNET
Michael
Bilirakis, Florida
Joe Barton, Texas
Cliff Stearns, Florida
Vice ChairmanPaul
E. Gillmor, Ohio
Christopher Cox, California
Nathan Deal, Georgia
Steve
Largent, Oklahoma
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming
John Shimkus, Illinois
Heather
Wilson, New Mexico
Charles W. "Chip" Pickering, Mississippi
Vito Fossella,
New York
Roy Blunt, Missouri
Thomas M. Davis, Virginia
Robert L. Ehrlich,
Jr., Maryland
Lee Terry, Nebraska
W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, Louisiana(Ex Officio)
Edward
J. Markey, Massachusetts
Ranking MemberBart Gordon, Tennessee
Bobby L. Rush,
Illinois
Anna G. Eshoo, California
Eliot L. Engel, New York
Gene Green,
Texas
Karen McCarthy, Missouri
Bill Luther, Minnesota
Bart Stupak, Michigan
Diana
DeGette, Colorado
Jane Harman, California
Rick Boucher, Virginia
Sherrod
Brown, Ohio
Thomas C. Sawyer, Ohio
John D. Dingell, Michigan (Ex Officio)
My
early target is to send a detailed report on the conduct of ICANN, Afilias and their
Registrars to each and every member of this committee.