The Republicans in the US are working hard to keep the UN's mitts off internet governance, with Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., reintroducing "a nonbinding resolution calling on President Obama to oppose any efforts by the United Nations to take over governance of the Internet," reports Tech Daily Dose.

"It has become increasingly clear that international governmental organizations, such as the United Nations, have aspirations to become the epicenter of Internet governance. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure this never happens," Bono Mack, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade said in a statement.

"Americans have always been skeptical about big government power grabs -- and they have a right to be -- especially when it impacts their daily lives. Any attempt by the United Nations to take over something that is so central to our economy is deeply troubling and a threat to American consumers. It is bad enough that we have to fight to keep the Federal Communications Commission's hands off the Internet; just imagine having to convince governments like Iran and China.

"The Internet has grown and thrived precisely because it has not been subjected to the suffocating effect of the heavy hand of government. Market-based policies, the free flow of information, and private sector leadership have allowed the Internet to flourish and become the world's greatest communication platform. I urge the President and his Administration to oppose any effort to transfer control of the Internet to the United Nations or any other international governmental entity."

Bono Mack introduced a similar resolution in the previous congress, reported Tech Daily Dose. In her resolution, Bono Mack notes her concerns about some nations using "the internet as a tool of surveillance to curtail legitimate political discussion and dissent." However given the recent release of US government cables and other correspondence through WikiLeaks and the ways in which the US has sought to find ways to put WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange before the courts in her country, she could easily have been referring to the US as one country that seeks to "use the internet as a tool of surveillance to curtail legitimate political discussion and dissent."