U.S. Senate Unanimously Passes Hatch-Blunt Internet Governance Awareness Resolution

Press Release

Senator Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah was joined by co-sponsors Senators Blunt, Coons, Inhofe, and Warner, in cheering passage of the Hatch-Blunt Internet Governance Awareness Week resolution (S. Res. 71), which cleared the Senate by unanimous consent on Thursday night.

"Next week, ICANN will hold its 52nd public meeting in Singapore to discuss the proposed IANA Stewardship Transition, something that will have tremendous effects on Internet infrastructure and governance around the world," Hatch said. "It's crucial that the public know what is at stake, especially considering the political and economic consequences of getting this wrong. This resolution is a step in the right direction, and will send a message that the United States remains engaged on the core functions and governance of the Internet."

"The rapid expansion of the Internet drives economic growth and freedom of expression around the world, and the U.S. plays a pivotal role in that development through our commitment to the bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance," Blunt said. "I'm pleased this important resolution has passed so that we can increase public awareness of Internet governance and the implications of the NTIA's proposed transition, and affirm that the United States will not accept a proposal that replaces NTIA's role with that of another government-led or inter-governmental organization."

"There is inherent risk in the transition to a pure multi-stakeholder model of internet governance," Senator Warner said. "This resolution underlines the need to act in a way that, without question, preserves a secure, stable, decentralized and open internet."

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