On the recordMay 21, 2014
I thank the gentleman from Illinois. You know, we are pretty proud of the Internet. We want to keep it free and nongovernmental control. Multistakeholder basically means all of the stakeholders who have a stake in the Internet are going to be at the table having a discussion about how we are going to resolve this situation. There is an apprehension that I don't think is well-founded that is reflected in this amendment. It is really, essentially, about delaying the process of these ongoing negotiations that have to occur in a very complicated global system which is called the Internet. So the House has voted on this three times before. It has indicated its support through the Clinton, the Bush, and the Obama administrations. Every one of those Presidents, I think, shares the concern that every one of us in this House have about maintaining a free and open Internet. We have got to get on with the job. Our view is that the Shimkus amendment would create confusion and delay and impede our ability to get to an end result that will make the Internet more secure, more free, and more open. I yield back the balance of my time.
