ICYMI - To Protect the Future of the Internet, Committee Passes Rokita's DOTCOM Act

Press Release

Today the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced H.R. 4342, the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act of 2014. This legislation, co-authored by Rep. Rokita, now awaits action by the full House.

In an earlier statement, Rokita explained the importance of the DOTCOM Act:

"The internet is the single greatest economic machine created in the last 50 years and it is a shining example of our American Exceptionalism," said Rokita. "It is against our own national economic interest to relinquish control, especially without a clear path forward that will protect internet freedom."

Co-authored by Rokita, Rep. John Shimkus and Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the DOTCOM Act would prohibit the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) from turning over its domain name system oversight responsibilities pending a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to Congress.

The report would include a discussion and analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the change and address the national security concerns raised by relinquishing U.S. oversight. It would also require GAO to provide a definition of term "multistakeholder model' as used by NTIA with respect to Internet policymaking and governance.

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