Address: United States Capitol, Washington, DC 20515, United States of America
Website: https://www.congress.gov/
Stakeholder group: Governments
The Congress represents the supreme legislative body in the United States. It has a bicameral structure, and it is composed of the House of Representative and the Senate. The two chambers are equal participants in the legislative process, and legislation needs to be approved by both of them in order to be enacted.
Legislative activities of the US Congress have high direct of indirect relevance for global Internet governance, in particular in areas such as e-commerce, intellectual property rights, network neutrality, and privacy and security. Examples include work on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), all related to the protection of intellectual property rights in the online environment. Beyond the actual legislative process, the Congress also hold hearings on issues which are related to Internet governance; as an example, the Congress is planning to have public hearings on the IANA stewardship transition process.
