Sen Thune Concerned About Title II Impact on ITU

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-SD) used a hearing on the US hand-off of domain naming system/IP address oversight to hammer on the Federal Communications Commission's Feb. 26 vote on Title II-supported network neutrality rules.

Chairman Thune asked whether reclassifying Internet access as a telecommunications service would strengthen or weaken America's ability to keep the International Telecommunications Union from tariffing the Internet, as some ITU members have wanted to do. Ambassador David Gross, former US coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, said he was still waiting to see what the FCC was going to do and that the details would be important. But with that caveat, he also said that it has long been US policy under Democratic and Republican Administration's alike, that the ITU should have no jurisdiction over Internet-related issues. He pointed out that there has been an ITU contingent that says its scope is telecommunications, so that if the FCC does classify Internet as a telecommunications service, they will assert they do now have jurisdiction. He said that would make the job of his successors more difficult in insuring that the ITU does not seek jurisdiction.