<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi<br><div>
</div>
<br><div><div>On May 28, 2012, at 9:21 AM, Anriette Esterhuysen wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; ">The distorted FCC reaction to talk of the ITU taking over and<br>'regulating' the internet only sets serious discussion about<br>international cooperation, and rooting internet policy in existing<br>international agreements, back.</span></blockquote><br></div><div>To be clear: the US House is under Republican control, so the selection of speakers is part of a larger effort to portray things as "the Obama administration is asleep at the wheel while the UN is moving to take over the Internet." Robert McDowell is one of two Republican commissions on an FCC of five, and he is looking to make a name for himself via Wall St. Journal etc. pumping up UN black helicopter paranoias among the political "base". When he's off the commission he'll get a good job somewhere and nice speaking fees. But I wouldn't take his views as "the FCC reaction." Dems on the commission may also have concerns about some of the WCIT proposals, and for good reason, but I've not seen them hyperventilating in the same manner.</div><div><br></div><div>David A. Gross is there because he was Bush's Ambassador at State. Nice smile, but also pretty far to the right, and no formal role in US policy discussions. Apparently the subcom chair saw no reason to hear from the person who's actually ambassador now and could relate what's happening both in the administration's planning process and in discussions with ITU members.</div><div><br></div><div>Sally Shipman Wentworth will be able to reflect on all the work ISOC's been doing deep diving into the proposed ITR revisions. Her presentation will be the one serious one to watch.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Bill</div><br></body></html>