III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 71 

Designating the week of February 8 through February 14, 2015, as ‘‘Internet 

Governance Awareness Week’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 5, 2015 

Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. WARNER, Mr. COONS, and Mr. 

INHOFE) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the week of February 8 through February 14, 

2015, as ‘‘Internet Governance Awareness Week’’. 

Whereas the United States remains committed to the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, in which the 

private sector works in collaboration with civil society, 

governments, and technical experts in a consensus fashion; 

Whereas the United States has, through its stewardship of 

key Internet domain name functions, maintained an important role in the protection of the Internet as presently 

constituted; 

Whereas on March 14, 2014, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (referred to in 

this preamble as the ‘‘NTIA’’) announced its intent to 


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•SRES 71 ATS 

transition these key Internet domain name functions to 

the global multistakeholder community; 

Whereas the transition process demonstrates that the United 

States supports and is committed to the multistakeholder 

model of Internet governance; 

Whereas the NTIA has asked the Internet Corporation for 

Assigned Names and Numbers (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘ICANN’’) to convene global stakeholders to 

develop a proposal to transition the current role played 

by the NTIA in the coordination of the Internet’s domain 

name system (referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘DNS’’); 

Whereas the NTIA has stated that there is no deadline for 

the transition, and that the transition proposal must have 

broad community support and must— 

(1) support and enhance the multistakeholder model; 

(2) maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of 

the Internet DNS; 

(3) meet the needs and expectations of the global 

customers and partners of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority; and 

(4) maintain the openness of the Internet; 

Whereas the NTIA has also stated that it will not accept a 

proposal that replaces the NTIA with a government-led 

or an inter-governmental organization, a position that is 

consistent with S. Con. Res. 50 (112th Congress), a concurrent resolution that was unanimously passed by the 

Senate and the House of Representatives in 2012 and 

supported ‘‘the consistent and unequivocal policy of the 

United States to promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful 

multistakeholder model that governs the Internet today’’; 


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•SRES 71 ATS 

Whereas ICANN will be holding its next global meeting, 

ICANN 52, in Singapore between February 8 and February 12, 2015; and 

Whereas designating the week of February 8 through February 14, 2015, as ‘‘Internet Governance Awareness 

Week’’ will encourage the participants at ICANN 52 to 

focus on developing key ICANN accountability principles 

for the protection of the global Internet: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, 

2 SECTION 1. DESIGNATION. 

3 The Senate designates the week of February 8 

4 through February 14, 2015, as ‘‘Internet Governance 

5 Awareness Week’’ to— 

6 (1) increase public awareness regarding the 

7 March 14, 2014 announcement by the National 

8 Telecommunications and Information Administration 

9 (referred to in this resolving clause as the ‘‘NTIA’’) 

10 declaring the intention of the NTIA to transition the 

11 stewardship of the functions of the Internet As12 signed Numbers Authority to the global multistake13 holder community; 

14 (2) encourage public education about the impor15 tance of this transition process; and 

16 (3) call the attention of the participants at the 

17 next global meeting of the Internet Corporation for 

18 Assigned Names and Numbers (referred to in this 


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1 resolving clause as ‘‘ICANN’’) to the importance of 

2 designing accountability and governance reforms to 

3 best prepare ICANN for executing the responsibil4 ities that it may receive under any transition of the 

5 stewardship of the functions of the Internet As6 signed Numbers Authority, including reforms that 

7 would— 

8 (A) insist that the domain name system 

9 continues to function as part of a secure, stable, 

10 resilient, single, decentralized, open, and inter11 operable Internet; 

12 (B) ensure a form of stewardship and ac13 countability that is based on the separation of 

14 the functions of policy-making, policy imple15 mentation, and, as needed, independent adju16 dication or arbitration for dispute resolution; 

17 (C) limit and maintain ICANN authority 

18 to matters that pertain to the coordination of 

19 Internet unique identifiers, and limit each func20 tion to those rights, responsibilities, and au21 thorities that have been explicitly assigned; 

22 (D) protect ICANN from undue influence 

23 or capture by one or more governments or mul24 tilateral or intergovernmental organizations, or 


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•SRES 71 ATS 

1 a single set of other commercial or noncommer2 cial stakeholders; 

3 (E) maintain the commitment of ICANN 

4 for final action regarding key policy decisions to 

5 demonstrate broad support by the community 

6 of ICANN stakeholders; 

7 (F) reinforce and expand transparency and 

8 accountability measures to ensure community 

9 access to ICANN documents and records; and 

10 (G) ensure that, prior to the execution of 

11 the transition of the stewardship of the func12 tions of the Internet Assigned Numbers Author13 ity, each of the foregoing elements of such pro14 posal is adopted and made effective by ICANN 

15 through incorporation in its articles of incorpo16 ration and by-laws, as needed, and subject to 

17 independent adjudication or arbitration for dis18 pute resolution, as appropriate. 

19 SEC. 2. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

20 Nothing in this resolution shall be construed as con21 gressional approval of any proposal by ICANN to transi22 tion the stewardship of the functions of the Internet As23 signed Numbers Authority to the global multistakeholder 

24 community. 

Æ 


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