The decision of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to cede control of the DNS root zone continues to produce the most unexpected and even bizarre reactions, like the recent bill introduced by three Republican Congressmen to prevent NTIA from moving forward.
The bill introduced by Representatives Todd Rokita, John Shimkus, and Marsha Blackburn is designed to prohibit the National Telecommunications and Information Administration from ceding oversight of the Internet domain name system until the US Comptroller General submits to Congress a report on NTIA’s role with respect to the domain name system. The authors of the bill want to delay for a year the decision to end US oversight of the root zone to allow for a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages. Even more amazing, the Congressmen claim that they are motivated by a desire to prevent Russia from gaining control of the root zone. Influential blogger Kevin Murphy (Domain Incite) called the Republican initiative “hysterical nonsense” and an “extended press release” rather than a serious attempt to keep the root in US hands.
According to Murphy, NTIA does not intend the root zone oversight function to be exercised by any foreign government or intergovernmental organizations, and Russia has never been considered a candidate for the role of the main Internet-controller. Ironically, he notes, “the only two governments to ever consider censoring the root zone were the European Commission and the United States, under the Republican Bush administration.”
