18-March-2014

In March 2014, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it would relinquish oversight of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)—a nonprofit that has managed the Web's domain-name system under contract with the U.S. government for more than a decade—when the current contract expires in 2015.

Mary Bono of FaegreBD Consulting reacted to the news with concern over how the global community, which includes countries with tight constraints on speech, will manage ICANN. "We're at a critical time where [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is proving he is capable of outmaneuvering the administration," Bono told Politico. "As they digest it, I think people are going to be very upset."

While serving in the House of Representatives, Bono sponsored a resolution reinforcing America's commitment to an open Internet, which Congress passed unanimously.

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