<nettime> icann compilation

[t byfield <tbyfield@panix.com>]

   below is a sample announcement from esther dyson, chair of the
   board of ICANN, drumming up support for ICANN's new Membership
   At Large' (MAL). the MAL is one of several groups and organiza-
   tions convened by ICANN, ostensibly to represent the interests
   of various 'stakeholding' groups; unlike the other groups, MAL
   is open to regular netizens--as opposed to the representatives
   of governments, trade/service-mark holders, registrars, and so
   on. <http://www.icannwatch.org/images/orgchart.gif> is a mysti-
   fying organizational chart of ICANN's overall structure, which
   only hints at the complexity of the dynamics involved--because
   of bylaws and working process, personalities, politicking, and
   so on. MAL has been roundly criticized as too little, too late:
   a powerless simulacrum of representation, yet another sideshow
   whose composition and rules were drawn up with little accounta-
   bility, and--depsite that--easily subject to capture by groups
   already well-represented in ICANN. below are: (1) several back-
   ground links; (2) dyson's letter; and (3) a sample dialog from
   the current ICANN meeting in cairo.

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(1) links
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     background on ICANN's overall development:
          <http://www.icannwatch.org/archives/muell.pdf>

     background on the MAL:
          slashdot thread--
               <http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/03/07/0713200>
          andy oram--
               <http://webreview.com/wr/pub/2000/02/18/platform/index.html>
          common cause critique/recommendations--
               <http://www.commoncause.org/icann/study.htm>

     minutes/audio/video/remote comments from the current
     ICANN meeting in cairo:
          <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/icann/cairo/archive/>


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(2) dyson's letter
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[original to: Europe's Internet Business Forum
      <http://NowEurope.com>
      ................................
      List Moderator: Steven Carlson
      <mailto:steve@noweurope.com>
      ................................
      Issue for: Wed, Mar 2, 2000

From: Esther Dyson <edyson@edventure.com>
Subject: ICANN At Large Membership - Please Apply!

Folks -

If you have an interest in ICANN in general and domain name policies in
particular, please consider applying for membership in ICANN. And tell
your (sensible) friends. We would like to make sure the ICANN At-Large
Membership is as broad and representative as possible. I hope you all
don't mind being in the clear, but you are all personal friends who
actually *should* meet each other (and some of you already have)! (I'll be
sending out a broader call with a bcc list.) 

You can read below, or just go to <http://members.icann.org>.

Esther

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(3) cairo dialog
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     [jerry berman is from the Center for Democracy and Technology;
      mike roberts is ICANN's CEO; hans kraaijenbrink and jonathan
      cohen are on the ICANN board.]

<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/icann/cairo/archive/scribe-icann-030900.html>

 M.  Jerry Berman: Yes. The first recommendation of our report is to carve
in stone the narrow technical mission of ICANN. 

 N.  Mike Roberts: Since this is a US public interest discussion we have
imported the US system of direct elections into this discussion. US has an
elaborate system of checks and balances to deal with direct elections. The
assertions of the unassailable value of direct elections have gone too
far. 

 O.  Jerry Berman: We did not say that there must be direct elections. 

 P.  Hans Kraaijenbrink: The way the council is designed with 18
regionally diverse members, I fail to see how that would be prone to
capture more than your proposals. 

 Q.  Jerry Berman: Defining the word capture. Unless the Board gives more
guidance of what the At-Large should consist of the Board is vulnerable. 

 R.  Hans Kraaijenbrink: Capture means one group gaining control. 
Regional diversity helps ensure against that. 

 S.  Esther Dyson: I have U.S. background of political correctness. I am
concerned about capture by the people who don't know what they are doing. 
People who are stupid individually. Concerned about the quality of the
next nine board members. I am not sure about the real difference between
direct and indirect. I favor indirect is because I like the idea of an
At-Large Council with responsibilities other than just election, such as
outreach, representing the community. We need more outreach to ensure
quality directors. Spend time educating people and also making it move
forward quickly. Electing 5 quickly and then thinking about what to do
next. As with gTLDs, we face tough decisions. We hope Common Cause and CDT
are going to help us with these. 

 T.  Jonathan Cohen: I recommend considering board appointing a nominating
committee of At-Large members to then look for acceptable candidates. Or
some other method for finding candidates that are acceptable. We set an
election date. Period of evaluation of the term of those directors. 
Specific study on the question of At-Large and the board. Outreach during
the one or two years. Specific requirement of the Board to reconsider and
reevaluate. 

 U.  Esther Dyson: If there is a nominating committee then there should
also be a way for those not on the committee to nominate. Encourage
specific suggestions and responses. 

V.  Costello: No such thing as a neutral election system. Need to consider
structures to build legitimacy - direct elections therefore far
preferable.  Staggered process perhaps makes sense. But July-September
timetable perhaps too tight. Consider adjusting process after first round.
Use nominating process to assure quality - whether an independent body or
a part of the Board. Consider proportional representation systems. 

W. Dyson: We assume existence of slates, campaigns, proposed policies and
programs, etc. 

<...>




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