House passes bill giving Congress more say in Internet transition (DOTCOM Act)

The House overwhelmingly passed the DOTCOM Act, 378-25, giving Congress the right to review the move away from an American-controlled Internet domain name system to one overseen by the international community. "By advancing the DOTCOM Act, we are ensuring that the Internet‚ the world’s greatest platform of ideas, commerce, and social connection‚ continues to thrive to the benefit of folks in Michigan and every corner of the country,” said House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).

The White House-backed transition plan would see the Department of Commerce end its longstanding contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for managing the domain name system through the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Authority over the system would be taken up by a group of international stakeholders. The bill gives lawmakers 30 days to review the proposed plan for the transition to determine whether it aligns with a variety of principles and requirements. The legislation moves to the Senate -- where the Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark up its version of the bill on June 25. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) called the House bill the “right approach” and said lawmakers in the upper chamber would “try to get floor action on it as soon as we can."