<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">On Sep 14, 2016, at 9:20 AM, Raoul Plommer <<a href="mailto:plommer@gmail.com" class="">plommer@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class="">I think we're doing Ted Cruz et al a favor by not correcting them by somebody from the ICANN board, in the media. Why not phone a journalist and arrange an interview with one of the papers that published Ted Cruz's drivel?</div></div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div>Already done by ICANN’s General Counsel, in the Wall Street Journal</div><div>(same publication that carries the Crovitz's editorial column which led</div><div>to so much publicity on this matter.) </div><div><br class=""></div><div> <<a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-icann-move-has-long-been-u-s-policy-1473612839" class="">http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-icann-move-has-long-been-u-s-policy-1473612839</a>></div><div><br class=""></div><div>/John</div><div><br class=""></div><div>===</div><div><br class=""></div><div><header class="module article_header" style="margin: 0px 10px 6px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div data-module-id="18" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleHeadline" data-module-zone="article_header" class="zonedModule" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div class=" wsj-article-headline-wrap" style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;"><h1 class="wsj-article-headline" itemprop="headline" style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 40px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle Display', serif; line-height: 1.2em; background-position: 0px 0px;">The Icann Move Has Long Been U.S. Policy</h1><h2 class="sub-head" itemprop="description" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Whitney SSm', sans-serif; line-height: 28px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); letter-spacing: -0.01em; background-position: 0px 0px;">Icann’s multistakeholder model has been supported by all presidential administrations since 1998.</h2></div></div></header><div class="at16-col9 at16-offset1 column at12-col7 at8-col8" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 80px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; width: 720px; max-width: 100%; float: left; min-height: 1px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div class="module" style="margin: 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div data-module-id="17" data-module-name="article.app/lib/module/articleBody" data-module-zone="article_body" class="zonedModule" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div id="wsj-article-wrap" class="article-wrap" itemprop="articleBody" data-sbid="SB10098407262506933407404582303780683478966" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div id="cx-articlecover" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); position: relative;" class=""></div><div id="articlebody-i18n" data-i18n-hide-caption="HIDE CAPTION" data-i18n-show-caption="SHOW CAPTION" data-i18n-advertisement="Advertisement" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""></div><div class="clearfix byline-wrap" style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; background-position: 0px 0px;"><time class="timestamp" style="margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Whitney SSm', sans-serif; display: block; line-height: 2.2rem; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); background-position: 0px 0px;">Sept. 11, 2016 12:54 p.m. ET</time></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">L. Gordon Crovitz’s “<a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-internet-giveaway-to-the-u-n-1472421165" class="icon none" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-size: 30px; color: rgb(0, 128, 195); text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">An Internet Giveaway to the U.N.</a>” (Information Age, Aug. 29) is premised on errors of fact. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) does not enjoy an “antitrust exemption.” Icann isn’t and never has been exempted from antitrust laws. In 1998 the Commerce Department stated that the nonprofit organization to be created to fulfill the U.S. government’s directive to privatize the domain name system (Icann) would be subject to antitrust laws: “Applicable antitrust law will provide accountability to and protection for the international internet community.” If Commerce’s stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority functions are transitioned to the internet community, Icann will have no mandate, need or reason to seek to be overseen by another governmental group for protection.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">Icann’s multistakeholder model has been supported by all presidential administrations since 1998. Icann’s antitrust status has never changed. Icann has not been granted an antitrust exemption by any of its contracts with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. No ruling in Icann’s favor has ever cited an antitrust exemption as the rationale.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">This article disregards the diligent work of the Icann community, including U.S. businesses, academia, technical experts, end users and civil society, which developed a plan for the transition that specifically ensures that the role of the Commerce Department isn’t replaced by another government or intergovernmental organization.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: 600; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">John Jeffrey</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">General Counsel and Secretary</em></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">Icann</em></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: 'Chronicle SSm', serif; line-height: 28px; word-wrap: break-word; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class="">Los Angeles</em></p><div class="unruly wsj-body-ad" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center; display: flex; clear: left; justify-content: center; align-items: center; flex-direction: column; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div class="wsj-responsive-ad-wrap wsj-ad-article-body" id="wsj-body-AD_G3" data-ad-options="{"adId":"AD_G","adUnitPath":"/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_lettersstory","adSize":[[2,2]],"adSizeMap":null,"autoRefresh":false,"adTargeting":{"metazone":null,"msrc":null,"circ":"subscriber","bkuuid":"qgr1mcwf99eo3k8v","cke":"A11-G17","p39":null},"disableRefresh":false}" data-tracking="interactive.wsj.com/opinion_lettersstory" data-google-query-id="CJnu_5b6js8CFaexswodeoMDCg" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; min-height: 1px; clear: left; background-position: 0px 0px;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_lettersstory_3__container__" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0pt none; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-position: 0px 0px;" class=""><iframe id="google_ads_iframe_/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_lettersstory_3" title="3rd party ad content" name="google_ads_iframe_/2/interactive.wsj.com/opinion_lettersstory_3" width="1" height="1" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: block; width: 300px;" class=""></iframe></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br class=""></div><br class=""></body></html>