Cruz Confirms Sept. 14 Senate Judiciary Oversight Hearing on IANA Transition 'Possible Dangers'
The Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee scheduled a hearing Sept. 14 on the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition, as expected (see 1609020038). Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, confirmed Wednesday he will chair the hearing, which will begin at 10 a.m.…
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in Dirksen 226. The hearing will focus on “possible dangers” of the planned transition, which is to occur Oct. 1, after the Sept. 30 expiration of NTIA's contract with ICANN to administer the IANA functions, Cruz's office said in a news release. Witnesses set to testify include NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling, TechFreedom President Berin Szoka and officials from DOJ's Antitrust Division and ICANN, two industry lobbyists told us. Senate Judiciary Oversight didn't release a confirmed witness list before our deadline, but the subcommittee reportedly is still determining additional witnesses, a lobbyist said. The hearing is likely to include a focus on transition skeptics' recent concerns about antitrust implications of the IANA transition, with lobbyists noting Cruz's recent call for DOJ's Antitrust Division to conduct a competition review of ICANN's proposed extension of Verisign's .com registry agreement through 2024 (see 1608150052). Meanwhile, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., urged against proceeding with the IANA transition, during a speech on the House floor Tuesday. Blackburn cited former Wall Street Journal publisher Gordon Crovitz's recent opinion piece opposing the transition, in which he claimed ICANN had an “antitrust exemption.” ICANN has countered the claim (see 1609010078).