From U.S. government could ride on a rider — IANA transition

Senator suggests appropriations ride as a way to stop transition.

Will the transition of the U.S. government’s oversight of IANA internet functions end this month as planned? Or will it be delayed?

It could ride on a rider.

Senator Ted Cruz has been leading the charge to thwart the transition, (wrongfully) characterizing the transition as handing the internet over to China, Iran and Russia.

Congress has by now tried to thwart the transition through appropriations, but its first attempt failed to stop the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) activities for the transition.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune stated yesterday that an appropriates rider is possible to stall the transition, notes The Hill:

I think you could come up with some variation of that this time around, that would at least delay or push it out in the future,” he stated. “I think that’s what you’d have to do at this point.” But he acknowledged that the Department of Commerce states its current execution of the transition isn’t in violation of the previous riders and that “the language is going to have to be massaged.

The NTIA has by now sent a contractually-required notice to ICANN regarding a possible extension of the IANA contract ought to the transition be delayed. But neither NTIA nor ICANN would like to extend the contract; they want the transition to take place at the end of this month as planned.