Since the very inception of the internet, as we know it today, USA had a pivotal role to play including in the management of DNS (Domain Name System). However internet evolved to be more free.
However, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) — the body governing DNS — is of US origin.
Does the federal government of USA still have any powers over functioning of ICANN?
The U.S. government previously contracted with ICANN for services, and that contract gave the Department of Commerce oversight authority over ICANN.
But both that contract and the department's oversight responsibilities ended in 2016, making ICANN a fully private entity. At this point, the federal government's relationship with ICANN is more like its relationship with any other private company or individual; it can write laws and regulations governing its behavior, but it may not exert direct control over its actions.
