Feb. 2, 2017, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for sitting on the most responsive Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents for almost 3 years on what the legal and policy justification was for the transitioning the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) administering the world’s domain name system to a single entity creating a global monopoly over the functions:
“If these documents had been made available in a timely manner, even in the redacted form we now see, Americans for Limited Government and others would have had legal recourse to appeal the privileged determination that they were exempt documents. It took almost 3 years to produce the most responsive documents in our FOIA and only now is the agency claiming its privileged exemptions when it is too late to appeal except for the historical record.
“The fact that whatever legal justification existed for the Internet giveaway was sat upon until long after the transition was over, and did not take place until Obama left office, denied those opposed to the Internet giveaway a critical indication about whether any legal analysis was performed prior to the transition’s announcement. Now we know, even redacted form, that the only documents entitled ‘legal justification’ on page 163 were not completed until 11 days after the transition had already been announced, and just 2 days after questions about legal authority had been raised by the Wall Street Journal. The most transparent administration ever, indeed.”
To view online: http://getliberty.org/2017/02/ntia-sat-on-legal-justification-for-creating-internet-monopoly-for-almost-3-years/
Attachments:
FOIA final response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Jan. 26, 2017 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/NTIAFinalResponse1-26-17.pdf
How to Save the Internet, L. Gordon Crovitz, March 23, 2014 at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303802104579453263393882136 RE: “a spokesman for the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration said the agency reviewed this legal issue and concluded the administration can act without Congress but refused to share a copy of the legal analysis.”
Au Revoir to the Open Internet, L. Gordon Crovitz, June 29, 2014 at http://www.wsj.com/articles/gordon-crovitz-au-revoir-to-the-open-internet-1404076280
Halfway to Wrecking Internet Freedom, By L. Gordon Crovitz, Nov. 30, 2014 at http://www.wsj.com/articles/gordon-crovitz-halfway-to-wrecking-internet-freedom-1417387404
An Internet Giveaway to the U.N., By L. Gordon Crovitz, Aug. 28, 2016 at http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-internet-giveaway-to-the-u-n-1472421165
NTIA performed no antitrust analysis even as it proceeded with the creation of Internet monopoly, Aug. 26, 2016 at http://getliberty.org/ntia-performed-no-antitrust-analysis-even-as-it-created-global-internet-monopoly/
NTIA FOIA response to Americans for Limited Government requesting antitrust analysis on relinquishing IANA functions to NTIA, Aug. 16, 2016 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/NTIA-No-Records-Response-Antitrust-Analysis-08.16.16.pdf
FOIA further response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, March 18, 2016 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/NTIAFOIAResponse4thSet3-18-16.pdf
FOIA further response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, March 14, 2016 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/NTIAFOIA3rdSet-3-14-16.pdf
FOIA further response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Jan. 7, 2016 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/NTIAFOIAResponse1-7-2016.pdf
FOIA further response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, June 15, 2015 at http://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/DOC-NTIA_FOIA-Responsive-Docs-Set2.pdf
FOIA interim response by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), June 30, 2014 at http://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/DOC-NTIA_FOIA-Responsive-Docs-Set1.pdf
FOIA Request to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), March 27, 2014 at http://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/DOC-NTIA-FOIA-re-ICANN-03-27-14.pdf
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 106 or at media@limitgov.org to arrange an interview with ALG experts including ALG President Rick Manning.
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