In less than two months, the Department of Commerce is set to give control of the internet to an international authority, but a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows most U.S. voters oppose the decision.
Rasmussen asked likely voters "do you favor or oppose the United States giving up its last remaining control over the i?" and they responded:
- Favor: 17 percent;
- Oppose: 66 percent;
- Not sure: 17 percent.
Voters were also asked how likely they thought it was that a country like China, Russia or Iran would attempt to seize control and censor the internet:
- Very likely: 43 percent;
- Somewhat likely: 26 percent;
- Not very likely: 18 percent;
- Not at all likely: 5 percent;
- Not sure: 9 percent.
Sens. Ted Cruz, James Lankford and Mike Lee are some of the most prominent opponents of the shift, according to a letter reported by The Washington Examiner:
"The proposal will significantly increase the power of foreign governments over the Internet, expand [the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’] historical core mission by creating a gateway to content regulation, and embolden [its] leadership to act without any real accountability."
According to Professor Alan Woodward of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, the effects of the changeover will be almost unnoticeable to the average internet user.
"This has nothing to do with laws on the internet," Woodward told BBC News.
"Those still are the national laws that apply where it touches those countries. This is more about who officially controls the foundations of the internet/web addresses and domain names, without which the network wouldn't function."