Congress Approves Resolution To Keep Internet Control In US Hands

The United States House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution that signals the United States to oppose a United Nations takeover of the Internet. In a unanimous vote 389 – 0, the House passed the resolution that originated in the Senate by Senators Marco Rubio (R) of Florida and Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri.

The bipartisan and unopposed passage of the resolutions sends a strong message to the United Nations that the United States has no interest in handing over control of the Internet to the international body. It is in response to the United Nations conference on telecommunications that is happening this week. According to Representative Greg Walden (R) of Oregon, 193 member countries of the UN are meeting to discuss an Internet regulation body similar to the International Telecommunications Union, which was formed in the 1980s to create policy around telephone systems.

Representative Anna Eshoo (D) of California said that “the United States of America is totally unified on this issue of an open structure, a multi-stakeholder approach that guided the Internet over the last two decades.” She also cited the fact that both parties in Congress and the White House are in agreement. Members of the Federal Communications Commission will be watching the conferences proceedings very closely.

This action from the United States Congress is a breath of fresh air. Not only is it nice to see both political parties agreeing on an issue, it also gives the appearance of wanting to keep a free and open Internet. Pay close attention, though. This is not a win for net neutrality. That’s a fight between consumers, the US government, and ISPs. Congress didn’t say that they want to keep the Internet free from obstructions, they simply said that they want to keep it free from foreign obstructions. Many of the governing bodies of the Internet, such as ICANN and IANA, reside in the United States.

In other words, lawmakers are saying “no one gets to screw with the Internet except us!”