OVERNIGHT TECH: Lawmakers applaud US for standing firm on UN Web treaty

THE LEDE: House members from both sides of the aisle cheered the Obama administration's refusal to sign a global telecommunications treaty on Thursday. 

Top GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce, including Chairman Fred Upton (Mich.) and Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.), lauded the U.S. delegation "for their principled stance on behalf of Internet users around the globe."

In a statement, the Energy and Commerce members said it appears that the conference "will adopt a document that would acknowledge a role for the United Nations in Internet governance and take other detrimental steps towards international government control of the Internet."

"The United States cannot support such a a role and did not support such a role," they said.

California Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren, whose district covers parts of Silicon Valley, said in a statement that it's important for the U.S. to oppose efforts by governments to exert control over the Internet so it can "continue as a vibrant engine for innovation, human rights, cultural and economic growth.”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said that he was "disappointed at the outcome" of the treaty negotiations, but said the U.S. "has made no apologies" for advancing its support of "a free and open internet" 

"We must continue to engage with other countries and international stakeholders through the multi-stakeholder process to advance our shared goal of a free and open Internet accessible to all," Waxman said in a statement. 

GOP Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Robert McDowell warned that the U.S. and other allies should start preparing for the next treaty conference in 2014, which he said could have a serious effect on the Internet. 

"The United States should immediately prepare for an even more treacherous ITU treaty negotiation," McDowell said in a statement. "Those talks could expand the ITU’s reach even further. Accordingly, Internet freedom’s allies everywhere should more than redouble their efforts to erase the damage that was wrought today."

Microsoft warns of regulation if 'Do Not Track' talks fail: Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, warned on Wednesday that Internet companies could be subjected to burdensome regulations next year if voluntary online privacy negotiations fail.

"Looking ahead, I’m hopeful that 2013 will be the year in which a self-regulatory approach to online privacy succeeds. Otherwise, the alternative is a patchwork of regulations imposed by governments around the globe and less protection than consumers deserve and privacy advocates desire," he wrote in a blog post.

The Obama administration has urged industry groups to create a "Do Not Track" button in Web browsers that would allow Internet users to opt out of third-party tracking. But negotiations between advertisers, privacy advocates and other Internet companies over Do Not Track have been at a standstill for months.

Microsoft angered advertisers when it announced earlier this year that it would make its popular Internet Explorer Web browser Do Not Track by default. 

Smith said the company remains "steadfast" in its decision to make Do Not Track the default, but he acknowledged that the feature does not work if advertisers do not honor the request.

"Going forward, Microsoft is committed both to continuing to innovate around privacy and collaborating across the industry to give consumers the choice and control they clearly say they want," he said.

---