I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5418 
To prohibit the National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
from allowing the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions con-
tract to lapse unless specifically authorized to do so by an Act of 
Congress. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 9, 2016 
Mr. DUFFY (for himself, Mr. SALMON, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. GOHMERT, 
Mr. JONES, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. BABIN, Mr. JOYCE, and 
Mr. BURGESS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To prohibit the National Telecommunications and Informa-
tion Administration from allowing the Internet Assigned 
Numbers Authority functions contract to lapse unless 
specifically authorized to do so by an Act of Congress. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Internet 
Freedom Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:34 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(1) The Department of Commerce and the Na-
tional Telecommunications and Information Admin-
istration (in this section referred to as the ‘‘NTIA’’) 
should be responsible for maintaining the continuity 
and stability of services related to certain inter-
dependent Internet technical management functions, 
known collectively as the Internet Assigned Numbers 
Authority (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘IANA’’), which includes— 
(A) the coordination of the assignment of 
technical Internet protocol parameters; 
(B) the administration of certain respon-
sibilities associated with the Internet domain 
name system root zone management; 
(C) the allocation of Internet numbering 
resources; and 
(D) other services related to the manage-
ment of the Advanced Research Project Agency 
and INT top-level domains. 
(2) The interdependent technical functions de-
scribed in paragraph (1) were performed on behalf 
of the Federal Government under a contract between 
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and 
the University of Southern California as part of a 
research project known as the Tera-node Network 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:34 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Technology project. As the Tera-node Network 
Technology project neared completion and the con-
tract neared expiration in 1999, the Federal Govern-
ment recognized the need for the continued perform-
ance of the IANA functions as vital to the stability 
and correct functioning of the Internet. 
(3) The NTIA may use its contract authority to 
maintain the continuity and stability of services re-
lated to the IANA functions. 
(4) If the NTIA uses its contract authority, the 
contractor, in the performance of its duties, must 
have or develop a close constructive working rela-
tionship with all interested and affected parties to 
ensure quality and satisfactory performance of the 
IANA functions. The interested and affected parties 
include— 
(A) the multistakeholder, private sector- 
led, bottom-up policy development model for the 
domain name system that the Internet Corpora-
tion for Assigned Names and Numbers rep-
resents; 
(B) the Internet Engineering Task Force 
and the Internet Architecture Board; 
(C) Regional Internet Registries; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:34 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(D) top-level domain operators and man-
agers, such as country codes and generic; 
(E) governments; and 
(F) the Internet user community. 
(5) The IANA functions contract of the Depart-
ment of Commerce explicitly declares that ‘‘[a]ll 
deliverables provided under this contract become the 
property of the U.S. Government.’’. One of the 
deliverables is the automated root zone. 
(6) Former President Bill Clinton’s Internet 
czar Ira Magaziner stated that ‘‘[t]he United States 
paid for the Internet, the Net was created under its 
auspices, and most importantly everything [research-
ers] did was pursuant to government contracts.’’. 
(7) Under section 3 of article IV of the Con-
stitution of the United States, Congress has the ex-
clusive power to ‘‘dispose of and make all needful 
Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or 
other Property belonging to the United States’’. 
(8) The .gov and .mil top-level domains are the 
property of the United States Government, and as 
property, the United States Government should have 
the exclusive control and use of those domains in 
perpetuity. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:57 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
SEC. 3. MAINTAINING THE IANA FUNCTIONS CONTRACT. 
The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Commu-
nications and Information may not allow the responsibility 
of the National Telecommunications and Information Ad-
ministration with respect to the Internet domain name 
system functions, including responsibility with respect to 
the authoritative root zone file and the performance of the 
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions, to termi-
nate, lapse, expire, be canceled, or otherwise cease to be 
in effect unless a Federal statute enacted after the date 
of enactment of this Act expressly grants the Assistant 
Secretary such authority. 
SEC. 4. EXCLUSIVE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OWNER-
SHIP AND CONTROL OF .GOV AND .MIL DO-
MAINS. 
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Com-
munications and Information shall provide to Congress a 
written certification that the United States Government 
has— 
(1) secured sole ownership of the .gov and .mil 
top-level domains; and 
(2) entered into a contract with the Internet 
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers that 
provides that the United States Government has ex-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:57 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
clusive control and use of those domains in per-
petuity. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:34 Jun 10, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H5418.IH
H5418
rfrederick on DSK6VPTVN1PROD with BILLS