For those not in the public forum today, I thanked the US Congress for recent legislation that defers to our community proposals and requires ICANN to adopt our bylaws changes before transition can occur. —
STEVE DelBIANCO: STEVE DelBIANCO SPEAKING FOR NETCHOICE.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AN INSTITUTION THAT IS BESET BY OPPOSING FACTIONS, WHO USE BACK-ROOM LOBBYING AND DELAYING TACTICS, RESULTING IN GRIDLOCK ON POLICYMAKING. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT ICANN. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE U.S. CONGRESS. AND DESPITE THAT GRIDLOCK, CONGRESS HAS MADE AMAZING PROGRESS SINCE NTIA ANNOUNCED THE TRANSITION 15 MONTHS AGO. UNDERSTANDABLY, THE U.S. CONGRESS WAS FRUSTRATED AND SURPRISED THAT IT HADN'T BEEN ADEQUATELY CONSULTED WHEN THE TRANSITION WAS ANNOUNCED. THEY REACTED BY LOOKING FOR WAYS TO ASSERT THEIR ROLE AND LEVERAGE TO DO SO. THEY IMMEDIATELY HELD HEARINGS. FADI, YOU AND I, SECRETARY STRICKLING, AND OTHERS WERE THERE. THEY DRAFTED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HAVE LET CONGRESS SPEND UP TO A YEAR SECOND-GUESSING OUR COMMUNITY PROPOSAL AFTER WE PREPARED IT AND THEN THEY PASSED APPROPRIATIONS MEASURES THAT RESTRICTED FUNDING FROM NTIA TO DO THE TRANSITION. SO LOOK, AN AMAZING THING HAPPENED OVER THE LAST YEAR. CONGRESSIONAL STAFF IMMERSED THEMSELVES IN THE ARCANE DETAILS OF THIS TRANSITION. THEY STARTED ATTENDING OUR ICANN MEETINGS AND THERE ARE THREE OF THEM IN THE ROOM HERE TODAY. FINALLY, THEY CREATED BRAND-NEW LEGISLATION KNOWN AS THE DOTCOM ACT, WHICH REINFORCES NTIA'S MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS, AND THEN REQUIRES ICANN TO IMPLEMENT THE BYLAWS CHANGES THAT THE COMMUNITY -- BOTH THE CWG AND CCWG -- HAVE ASKED FOR. THAT WAS IN RESPONSE TO WHAT I AND A NUMBER OF OTHER WITNESSES ASKED FOR. ON TUESDAY, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED THAT LEGISLATION AND TODAY -- JUST THIS MORNING -- THE KEY SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVED THE SAME BILL. CONGRESS HAS DONE ITS PART BY BACKING THE COMMUNITY. WHICH PUTS THE ONUS ON US TO DELIVER A SOLID PROPOSAL. WE'RE DOING THAT, AND WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO. BUT LET'S NOT MISS THIS MOMENT TO SHOW SOME APPRECIATION FOR CONGRESS BACKING US AND BACKING THE COMMUNITY, AND THANK THE STAFF MEMBERS WHO MADE IT HAPPEN. [APPLAUSE ]