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Washington, D.C. — In a letter today to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., a bipartisan group of House Energy and Commerce Committee Leaders requested a briefing about the presence of counterfeit Ozempic and other semaglutide products in the United States’ medical supply chain.  The letter was signed by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ); Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Ranking Member Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA); and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL).   KEY LETTER QUOTE : “In addition to concerns about integrity gaps in the legitimate supply chain, we are also concerned about counterfeit Ozempic entering through illegal channels. For example, in June of this year, Eli Lilly issued an open letter expressing concern that counterfeit versions of its own drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound, were being sold online, through social media and at medical spas. On May 1, 2024, a Department of Justice press release reported that work by FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations resulted in the arrest of an individual for selling misbranded and adulterated weight loss drugs on TikTok. The Committee fully supports these continued investigations of unlawful sales.”   BACKGROUND :   The FDA alerted the public on December 21, 2023, to the presence of counterfeit Ozempic injection products in the legitimate drug supply; an investigati ve article l ater found that thousands of counterfeit Ozempic pens had arrived in a warehouse in Elmira, New York, as early as the fall of 2023. The fact that counterfeit medications made it into the legitimate medical supply chain raises concern about potential gaps in our supply chain security infrastructure.    This threat continues to grow.   CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C — In a new letter to Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Director Renee Wegrzyn, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W) request information on how ARPA-H is ensuring that institutions and individuals involved in the research projects it funds comply with Title VI to ensure a harassment and discrimination-free environment.  This letter comes after a rise in antisemitism on college and university campuses, including Columbia University and the University of California, San Francisco where ARPA-H currently funds research. It is signed by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and E&W Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT).  KEY EXCERPT :  “Due to ongoing reports of antisemitism across colleges and universities, federal and congressional investigations into potential civil rights violations at these institutions, and an ongoing congressional investigation into HHS’s and NIH’s handling of these concerns at HHS-funded institutions, the Committees are seeking more information about how ARPA-H ensures that those involved in projects it funds comply with Title VI and relevant civil rights laws to ensure a research environment free of harassment and discrimination, especially towards those of Jewish faith and heritage.”  BACKGROUND :  ARPA-H is an independent agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  ARPA-H reports directly to the Secretary of HHS.  In the last year, ARPA-H has funded more than $595 million in research projects through ISOs and BAA with more than $506 million going to universities and research institutions and the rest to companies or organizations. Some of these research projects include:  August 30, 2024: Up to $39.5 million to Columbia University   August 22, 2024: Up to $7 million to the University of Pennsylvania   August 13, 2024: Up to $18.4 million to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign  July 10, 2024: Up to $27 million to the Wyss Institute at Harvard University  June 12, 2024: Up to $24 million to Yale University School of Medicine  April 1, 2024: Up to $35 million to the University of California, San Francisco  September 26, 2023: Up to $104 million to Harvard Medical School  September 25, 2023: Up to $26 million to Stanford University  Of the fourteen university-based projects ARPA-H funded in the last year, eleven (including the eight listed above) are at universities that were recently or are currently under federal and/or congressional investigation for potential Title VI violations and/or are being sued in federal court for permitting antisemitic behavior on campus.  Columbia University has been sued in federal court, is currently undergoing several investigations by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, and is undergoing investigation by congressional committees, for complaints of antisemitism.  The Committee on Energy and Commerce is currently investigating the University of California, San Francisco regarding concerns of antisemitism at the university, medical school, and associated medical centers.  The U.S. Department of Education recently closed its investigation into the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign with a resolution agreement that found the university was not meeting its obligation under Title VI as it relates to complaints of shared ancestry discrimination—including 135 complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W) issued a request for documentation related to the Committees’ ongoing investigation into how the department is preventing and responding to antisemitism at grantee institutions. The letter follows up on a May 23, 2024, letter to which HHS failed to respond to adequately and is signed by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and E&W Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT). KEY EXCERPT :  “Responding on your behalf in an August 22, 2024, letter, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation stated that, “The HHS Office for Civil Right (OCR) enforces federal civil rights laws prohibiting various forms of discrimination in HHS-funded programs and activities […]” and that “OCR takes this duty seriously.” Despite this declaration, the lacking response from HHS failed to provide specific information about how HHS OCR or the NIH have taken steps to ensure that institutions and universities receiving funding from HHS are complying with federal civil rights laws amongst these extensively reported acts of antisemitism, and whether HHS OCR or the NIH have received any complaints regarding potential violations of federal law as it pertains to antisemitism.” The Chairs requested the following documents by no later than October 2, 2024: A list of all misconduct allegations at NIH-funded institutions relating to alleged antisemitic incidents from fiscal year 2023 to present received by HHS OCR and/or the NIH, showing:   the date;   which agency received the allegation;   a brief description of the incident;   role of the alleged perpetrator and victim (e.g., student or faculty) with their names redacted;  institution;   entity responsible for reviewing the case (including whether the complaint is an official Title VI case);   case status;   actions taken by the institution; and   actions taken by HHS/NIH.  All documents and communications, including but not limited to, text messages, emails, and electronic messages, to or from HHS OCR/to or from the NIH referring or related to misconduct allegations or concerns over actions at NIH-funded institutions from fiscal year 2023 to present, referring or relating to, alleged antisemitic incidents; targeting of Jews, Israelis, Zionists, or Zionism; university encampments; and/or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  All documents and communication between HHS OCR and other agencies regarding assistance with Title VI compliance, particularly related to antisemitism (shared ancestry).  All documents and communication between HHS OCR and NIH-funded institutions related to Title VI compliance reviews related to antisemitism (shared ancestry).    From fiscal year 2023 to present, all documents, communications, and guidance provided from HHS OCR and the NIH to grantee institutions and individuals at grantee institutions regarding Title VI responsibilities and protections, including those specific to protections for those of Jewish faith and heritage, and all documents or communications regarding HHS/NIH’s stance on antisemitism, the events occurring on university campuses, and/or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict generally.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Letter comes following allegation student was delayed care due to Israeli heritage Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) and House Committee on Education and the Workforce (E&W) are demanding answers regarding ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic harassment and intimidation at the University and its associated medical school and centers. The letter, signed by E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), E&C Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), E&W Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and E&W Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) requests that Columbia University respond to the Committees’ questions by no later than October 2, 2024.  It is part of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) House-wide  effort  to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.  KEY EXCERPTS : “A report from the Columbia University Antisemitism Task Force highlighted how the hostility on Columbia University campuses had spilled over into the medical center and medical services as well. For example, an Israeli student reported that when she went to health services in July 2024, no one came into the room to see her, and she overheard a discussion between two health care professionals in another room in which one said they would not treat her because she was Israeli. She sat in the room for another ten minutes until someone finally came to address her health needs.”  [...]  “Failing to comply with basic safety protections for members of the Columbia University community and to respond appropriately to and prevent harassment and discrimination, no matter the cause, may be grounds to withhold federal funds from the university and its associated medical centers. Congress has an obligation to ensure compliance with Title VI. If Congress determines an institution of higher education is in violation, it may consider rescinding research and development funds previously appropriated. Similarly, if Congress determines a medical facility is in violation, it may consider rescinding the right to participate in federal health care programs.”  CLICK HERE to read the full letter.  BACKGROUND :  Beginning on April 17, 2024, an encampment sprung up on Columbia University’s campus with hundreds of protestors and tents.  Banners and signs vandalized the campus—including residence halls—with antisemitic sentiments and even support for the terrorist organization Hamas.  Chants and statements by those within the encampment also supported messages of violence and hate towards Jewish students, with a leader of the encampment filmed stating that, “Zionists don’t deserve to live.”  Professors at Columbia University have also openly made antisemitic and pro-Hamas statements—including more than 100 professors signing a letter in support of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas—adding to the harassment of Jewish students.  An English professor held his classes inside the encampment, despite the fact that it was an uncomfortable and unsafe environment for some of the students in the class, who did not attend.  A prominent rabbi at Columbia University warned Jewish students to remain off-campus during the end of the academic year in Spring 2024 due to fears that the university and New York City police could not keep students safe.  Jewish students on campus also expressed concerns over their safety on campus and the mental and psychological toll the hostile environment was taking on their ability to work and learn. Despite over 100 arrests, the protests progressed to the occupation of a campus building and physical attacks of Jewish students, leading campus officials to move some classes online for the remainder of the academic year.  Columbia University also has a medical school, as well as several affiliated medical centers. Antisemitism has no place in an institution where students go to learn how to be the next generation of medical professionals caring for patients of all religions and ethnic backgrounds.  An interview with students at Irving Medical Center, where Columbia University’s medical school is housed, emphasized the extent to which Jewish students felt excluded and unable to openly identify as Jewish or express their Jewish identity on campus.  A nursing student, for example, stated that the sheer number of antisemitic policy violations that are minimized and go unpunished have made the behavior a norm and that the “Columbia nursing [school] is not a place for Jews.”

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans are pressing for answers regarding Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) awards. The letter to Administrator Regan, signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Chair Earl L. "Buddy" Carter (R-GA), requests an unredacted copy of all GGRF award agreements that have been finalized.  It follows up on an Oversight Subcommittee hearing from earlier this year, where Mr. Zealan Hoover, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, assured Committee Members that the award agreements that EPA entered into with recipients to receive GGRF program awards would address the concerns raised.   LETTER TEXT BELOW:   Dear Administrator Regan,  We write to you as part of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s (the Committee) continued oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). As you know, Committee Members have many questions regarding this first-of-its-kind, $27 billion program, including those discussed at a January 30, 2024, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on the GGRF, with Mr. Zealan Hoover, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, testifying on behalf of the EPA. In numerous instances, Mr. Hoover assured Members that the award agreements that EPA would enter into with recipients that the EPA selected to receive GGRF program awards would address the concerns they raised.   For example, in response to a question from Committee Chair Rodgers about what conflicts of interest policies would govern funding recipients responsible for further distributing this money, Mr. Hoover responded that “they will be subject to all of the terms and conditions of their financial assistance agreement.” After Representative Guthrie pressed for more information on whether organizations with foreign ties could receive GGRF funding, Mr. Hoover stated that “one of the terms and conditions in each of the award agreements is going to be a prohibition against entering into any form of contractual relationship with a foreign entity of concern.” Mr. Hoover also replied to Representative Lesko, “[e]ach grantee is applying with a rigorous investment plan, proposed project pipeline, and timeline for a wide array of necessary activities covering their investment work, their governance, their organizational structure. All of that will be enshrined in our terms and conditions of the grant agreement.”   Members also submitted follow-up questions for the record after the hearing. Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Griffith requested more detail about performance audits, and the EPA responded, in part, “[w]e expect that the terms and conditions of GGRF grants, as provided in 2 C.F.R. § 200.208, will authorize the project officer to closely monitor recipient performance and compliance with grant requirements.” Additionally, in response to Chair Griffith’s inquiry on how the EPA could evaluate the past performance of applicants that included new organizations or coalitions, the EPA stated that it required applicants to submit risk management plans, and that awardees would have to comply with specific terms and conditions in their award agreements. In response to a question on Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) compliance, the EPA stated that it was “including terms and conditions in the award agreements to reinforce that all grants are subject to [BABA] by statute,” and that “EPA will hold selected applicants accountable to BABA requirements through the terms and conditions of the award agreements.” Finally, the EPA also responded to a question from Representative Crenshaw, saying that “EPA will include a term and condition in all award agreements to protect against federal funds flowing to entities with certain connections to the People’s Republic of China.”  In short, the EPA repeatedly sought to reassure the Committee that its award agreements with selected recipients would address the issues of concern and potential risks. The Committee seeks additional detail on how these award agreements will address the issues of concern and potential risks.    As such, please provide a complete and unredacted copy of the award agreement, including all of the attachments, appendices, and any amendments, that the EPA executes with each funding recipient under the GGRF. By no later than August 29, 2024, please provide a copy of all award agreements that have been finalized as of the date of this letter, and please provide a copy of all remaining agreements as soon as they are finalized. 

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) press for information regarding antisemitic harassment and intimidation at UCSF and its associated medical centers under UCSF Health. The investigation comes as part of Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) House-wide  effort  to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.  KEY EXCERPTS:   “As a recipient of federal funding—both through various U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants and Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for health care services provided at UCSF Health medical centers—UCSF has an obligation to comply with federal law and to prevent and appropriately respond to discrimination and harassment.”  [...]  “The reports of antisemitic harassment and intimidation at UCSF and its associated medical centers coupled with the inadequate response by UCSF leadership is concerning to the Committee. Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe environment for all students, faculty, staff, and patients is a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as Chancellor of UCSF and UCSF Health." [...]  “Failing to comply with basic safety protections for members of the UCSF and UCSF Health communities or failure to respond appropriately to and prevent harassment and discrimination, no matter the cause, may be grounds to withhold federal funds from the university and its associated medical centers. Congress has an obligation to ensure compliance with Title VI. If Congress determines an institution of higher education is in violation, we may consider rescinding research and development funds previously appropriated. Similarly, if Congress determines a medical facility is in violation, we may consider rescinding the right to participate in federal health care programs.”  BACKGROUND :  An encampment in front of UCSF’s medical center has caused significant disruption to campus and health care operations, as well as great distress for members of the community, including health care professionals and patients.  Many Jewish health care professionals working at UCSF Health have also expressed concerns regarding their safety—including concerns of their private information being made public.  This fear is well founded, as there have been numerous antisemitic public statements by faculty, staff, and students at UCSF and/or UCSF Health, such as assertions that patients should fear Jewish doctors, false claims that Israel trains U.S. police to brutalize people of color, or statements that Israelis in the U.S., including students at U.S. universities and medical schools, who have served with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) should be tried for war crimes.  Hundreds of complaints of antisemitism and/or a hostile work environment have been made by employees and patients of UCSF and UCSF Health to the UCSF Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD), with confidential sources reporting that most complainants receive a response that these actions and statements fall under free speech protections.  CLICK HERE to read the full letter. 

Letter comes on the eve of athletes competing in the Paris Olympics and after WADA’s President refused to attend an Energy and Commerce Committee oversight hearing Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Witold Banka, bipartisan House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders pressed for answers regarding WADA’s handling of positive doping cases within China’s national swimming team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The letter contains questions that bipartisan Committee Members would have asked during a recent Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing , which Mr. Banka was invited to attend but refused to appear. Witnesses that did testify at the hearing included: Michael Phelps, American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist   Allison Schmitt, American swimmer and Olympic gold medalist   Travis Tygart , Chief Executive Officer, United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) KEY EXCERPTS:   “We write today to express our sincere disappointment at your refusal to accept our invitation to attend and provide testimony at our recent Subcommittee hearing. Members of Congress have important questions for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and are especially concerned about recent reports of your handling of dozens of cases of doping within the Chinese swimming team.  “WADA purports to maintain the integrity of sports by creating a fair and competitive sporting environment free from doping. As a U.S. taxpayer supported entity, WADA has a responsibility to the American people to ensure this integrity by enforcing international testing requirements. We believe WADA has fallen short of this important mission. ”  [...]   “ We are particularly concerned with the excessive deference being extended toward CHINADA—a state-funded operation with leadership deeply intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as current [Chinese Anti-Doping Agency] CHINADA director Li Zhiquan also serves as a Committee Secretary for the CCP. At a meeting in 2023, Zhiquan called on CHINADA employees to be 'loyal to the party' and to 'hold high the great banner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.' Furthermore, WADA’s reported sponsorship arrangement with ANTA Sports—the Chinese athletic company sponsoring the Chinese Olympic Committee and China’s national swimming federation—could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Since WADA is expected to uphold and maintain international anti-doping standards, WADA’s apparent lack of skepticism and failure to enforce the rules against CHINADA is troubling. While we are aware that WADA has opened an investigation, we are concerned that international scrutiny was necessary to force due diligence that should be routine .”  [...]  “This incident unfortunately reinforces our concern that WADA appears to be reverting to its previous poor management practices.”  [...]  “With the Paris Summer Olympic Games Opening Ceremony just a day away , the Committee seeks to better understand the circumstances surrounding WADA’s decision not to appeal the decision to clear the twenty-three swimmers who tested positive for trimetazidine.”   BACKGROUND :  In January 2021, 23 Chinese swimmers (“23 swimmers”) tested positive for trimetazidine, or TMZ, a banned substance improperly used to increase stamina and hasten recovery times.  Three months after the positive tests, CHINADA initiated an investigation into the source of the TMZ and by June 2021 claimed the athletes ingested the banned substance through food tainted in a hotel kitchen.  According to reporting, Chinese investigators “offered no explanation […] for how a prescription drug available only in pill form had contaminated an entire kitchen.”  In reliance on “external legal advice” and its science department, WADA determined that CHINADA’s claims were “plausible” and chose not to appeal the decision or further investigate the matter.  Three of these Chinese swimmers went on to win gold medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games in July of 2021.  China has selected 11 swimmers that tested positive for TMZ before the Tokyo Games to compete in the upcoming Paris Games.  In a strikingly similar case, Kamila Valieva, a Russian figure skater, also tested positive for the banned substance TMZ during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.  The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) issued a provisional suspension but was quickly cleared by RUSADA’s discipline board, since Valieva claimed she ingested the substance by mistake through a contaminated source.  Rather than simply accept RUSADA’s contamination explanation, WADA appealed the decision and ultimately, Valieva received a four-year ban from competition and was retroactively stripped of her gold medal. The letter was signed by Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., (D-NJ), Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (D-FL). CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Monica Bertagnolli, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) requested documents and transcribed interviews related to an approved MPVX experiment.  The letter comes after the Committee released an interim staff report on the experiment as well as an NIH reform framework . It notes that a failure to produce the requested documents by August 8, 2024, may lead to issuance of a subpoena to compel compliance. HHS and the NIH continue to withhold critical documents requested by the Committee last year.  KEY EXCERPT :  “For nearly a year and a half, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH, and NIAID misled the Committee. Both HHS and the NIH told us a risky MPXV research proposal at the NIAID had not been “'formally proposed' or 'planned' when in fact this project was submitted and received approval before the NIH’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) on June 30, 2015, as documented in written meeting minutes. The misleading statements were included in the following communications to the Committee:  Letter from the HHS Assistant Secretary for Legislation dated April 26, 2023.  Letter from Dr. Bernard Moss to Chair Rodgers, dated June 30, 2023.  Written statements presented at the September 21, 2023, meeting between Committee staff and NIH/NIAID officials from Dr. Bernard Moss, Dr. Steven Holland, NIAID Director of the Division of Intramural Research, and Jeffery Potts, Chief of the Biorisk Management Branch within the NIH Division of Occupational Health and Safety.  “This deception is unacceptable and has led the Committee to conclude that NIAID cannot be trusted to oversee its own research of pathogens or determine whether an experiment poses enhanced risks of a potential pandemic or other serious public health outbreak.”  [...] “NIAID’s lack of candor to this point suggests that it cannot be trusted to oversee the research projects that it funds. Therefore, this Committee will explore policy options to address this inherent conflict of interest and lack of transparency.”  ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND :  A new strain of MPXV has recently emerged that increases the risk of this disease causing a major public health outbreak or a potential pandemic. Since January, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported more than 4,500 suspected mpox cases and nearly 300 deaths, numbers that have roughly tripled from the same period last year, according to the World Health Organization.  Congo recently declared the outbreak across the country a health emergency. An analysis of hospitalized patients suggests recent genetic mutations are the result of continued transmissions in humans.  CLICK HERE to read the letter.

Washington, D.C. — In a new letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chair Bob Latta (R-OH), and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) requested information about the agency’s internet domain name registry agreement with Verisign, Inc. (Verisign). BACKGROUND :  The NTIA represents the United States government on the Governmental Advisory Committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the multi-stakeholder, not-for-profit entity that was founded in 1998 to coordinate the Internet domain name system, among other Internet management-related activities. Since 2001, Verisign has operated the .com and .net domain name registries.   Verisign manages the .com registry under two agreements—a .com Registry Agreement between ICANN and Verisign and a Cooperative Agreement between the NTIA and Verisign.  Both of these agreements are in place through November 30, 2024.  As the expiration dates of these agreements approach, some have suggested that the NTIA should reassess certain aspects of both agreements.   Under the Cooperative Agreement’s terms, it will automatically renew on November 30, 2024, unless Verisign provides written notice of non-renewal within 120 days of its expiration.   The Department of Justice has previously recommended ICANN hold a competitive bidding process for renewals of registry agreements.   The current agreement, as amended, has allowed Verisign, with ICANN’s agreement, in each of the last four years of every six-year contract period, to increase the maximum price Verisign charges for yearly registration or renewal of a .com name by up to seven percent over the maximum price it charged in the previous year.   Verisign has since instituted a price increase of the maximum amount in every year it was allowed to do so.   KEY LETTER EXCERPT :  “With both a role in advising ICANN and as a party to the Cooperative Agreement, the NTIA bears responsibility for supporting a domain name system that enables the growth of online commerce. Both individual consumers and businesses depend on responsible management of the .com system. Monopolistic elements and excessive domain name price increases stifle the ability of potential .com registrants to conduct business online.  “As such, we seek more information about the NTIA’s process in considering the renewal of both the Registry Agreement and the Cooperative Agreement.”  CLICK HERE to read the letter.