Tech groups file court brief opposing internet transition suit

Fourteen organizations filed a court brief on Friday voicing opposition to a lawsuit intended to block the transition of internet domain oversight from the U.S. to an international governing body.

The Internet Association — an advocacy group backed by Google and Facebook — and Mozilla were among the groups that filed the brief. They are opposing a lawsuit from four Republican state attorneys general who want to keep the U.S. from turning over functions of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to a group representing 162 countries.

{mosads}“The case before the Court is without merit and we request that the Court deny any motions seeking a delay of the IANA transition,” said Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Internet Association.  

“We are confident the transition will keep the internet safe, secure, reliable, and resilient.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Nevada Attorney General Paul Laxalt filed a lawsuit on Wednesday night asking for a restraining order that would prevent the White House’s proposed transition.

The attorneys general cited constitutional concerns over giving up federal property and security risks of the U.S. losing control over dot-mil and dot-gov domains. Supporters of the transition believe these concerns are unfounded.

A source familiar with the matter expects a decision before midnight Friday. Unless U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. rules to grant a restraining order before then, the transition is set to start tomorrow.

Republican lawmakers including Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), Sen. John Thune (S.D.) and Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) had pushed to include an amendment blocking the transition in this week’s stopgap government funding bill, but they were unsuccessful.

“The Plaintiffs, who failed to participate in an open, transparent, two-year process of deliberating and reaching consensus on the IANA stewardship transition, now urge the Court to act hastily on claims that are baseless,” Beckerman said in the brief. “A temporary restraining order to disrupt that transition would pose a significant threat to a free and open Internet and its many stakeholders both in the United States and across the world.”