Collusion Suspected in Network Solutions Probe

The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers apparently has more friends in the Clinton administration than Rep. Thomas Bliley (R-Va.) would like.

Bliley, who chairs the House Commerce Committee, recently held hearings on the government’s efforts to end Network Solutions Inc.’s exclusive contract for registering domain names--otherwise known as Internet addresses. Last week, he sent a letter to ICANN Chairwoman Esther Dyson questioning whether the group’s lawyer was colluding with a Department of Justice official to reinstate an antitrust investigation against NSI, which is based in Bliley’s home state.

“These communications appear to be highly inappropriate,” Bliley wrote in the letter. Since ICANN has no official relationship with Justice, “I find it interesting that [ICANN attorney Joe] Sims was seeking the assistance of the DOJ.”

For his part, Sims--himself a former attorney in the Justice Department’s antitrust division--did not find his March conversation with Chris Kelly, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general, particularly interesting.

“People go over and urge the DOJ to enforce antitrust laws all the time--in fact, I think it’s a constitutional right,” Sims said.

The Justice Department revealed in May that it had renewed an investigation into whether Network Solutions is violating antitrust laws by claiming ownership of a crucial list of Internet addresses. Sims said he did not discuss the matter with Kelly.

Kelly was on his honeymoon last week and was unavailable to comment on the letter. But he has previously said the conversation was about “general recognition advocacy,” and therefore it would not be “unusual,” said Justice spokeswoman Gina Talamona.