Republicans Question Constitutionality of President Obama's Plan to Give Up Internet Authority

The Obama Administration's plan to give up its role in the technical management of the Internet could be unconstitutional, according to top Republican lawmakers. The Commerce Department announced in 2014 that it will end its authority over the severs and other infrastructure necessary for computers around the world to reach websites. In a letter released Sept 28 dated Sept 22, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Rep Darrell Issa (R-CA) argued that the plan could violate the constitutional provision that only Congress has the power to "dispose of...property belonging to the United States."

"If the contact governing US oversight of the Internet is indeed government property, the Administration's intention to cede control to the 'global stakeholder community' -- including nations like Iran, Russian and China that do not value free speech and in fact seek to stifle it -- is in violation of the Constitution and should be stopped," Sen Cruz said in a separate statement.