”Deep disappointment” about House passage of the Domain...

"Deep disappointment” about House passage of the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) amendment was expressed by human rights and civil society organizations, in a letter Tuesday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (http://bit.ly/1kCKwxo). The American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy and Technology and New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute were among signees of the letter, which was copied to the Senate Appropriations, Senate Armed Services and Senate Commerce Committees’ leadership, it said. The DOTCOM amendment, which would delay NTIA’s transition of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority until a GAO study, was passed by the House with the National Defense Authorization Act May 22 (CD May 23 p6). “We welcome NTIA’s announcement and support the guiding criteria that NTIA articulated for that transition,” said the letter, referring to NTIA’s stipulations for the transition (http://1.usa.gov/1d33FkM). “Efforts to interfere with or delay this transition process, or require the Congressional approval beyond the criteria suggested by NTIA, will neither achieve the goals of the [DOTCOM] bill nor reflect Congress’s previously stated position on Internet governance.” The letter urged the Senate to block the DOTCOM amendment.