[governance] RALOs without halos

Mon Jan 23 10:09:33 EST 2006

Milton, I agree with your historical view of the issues (leaving aside
your view of personal responsibilites), and I have already expressed in
ALAC meetings similar concerns -- specifically, that the proposed
structure is not going to work and the ALAC problem remains the same --
the idea that there is a well defined category called "user" good enough
to have them vote individually on Internet governance issues or to form
associations for the same purpose.

Unfortunately, non-profit non-business civil society representation
within ICANN continues to be very fragile. We have ALAC with the
well-known problems and NCUC which is very strict in its (at least
"official") scope -- representing non-profit holders of domain names
(and its current membership size raises questions regarding
effectiveness of this representation). Goldstein envisions the
development of new structures with more precise stakeholder
representation and which would go well beyond just domain holders. This
is of course lacking and we need to think about it.

My view thus remains the same I have been defending for quite a while:
we need a new form of non-profit, non-business civil society
representation within ICANN, which would supersede both ALAC and NCUC
(business constituencies are already organized in their own ways, but
maybe the same applies to them). The concerned non-profits do not feel
represented by ALAC (which by the way says they are not welcome unless
they are associations of users) or by the frail structure and scope of NCUC.

So, why not propose right now (for the upcoming ICANN meeting) that ALAC
and NCUC cease to exist and are replaced by a non-profit non-business
constituency of civil society organizations, with no membership
restrictions other then being properly registered as such in any
country? A sort of World Caucus of NGOs for Internet Governance (WCNIG)
or whatever name best represents the idea. Understanding ALAC also
encompasses other stakeholders, similar proposals can be presented for
other constituencies, of course.

Let us get out of this loop which keeps looping and looping since
2001... and remaining in the same place.

frt rgds

--c.a.

Milton Mueller wrote:

>Danny:
>I admire your willingness to spend so much time and energy telling people that the ALAC emporer has no clothes. However, they have been parading about naked now for several years, and anyone who pays attention at ICANN meetings can see it. 
>
>The RALO structure created in ICANN's 2002 "reforms" is a joke. It asks people to invest huge amounts of time and energy to build organizations that have no power. It is predicated on the notion that hundreds of thousands of domain name registrants, to whom a domain name represents a $20/year investment, are going the spend the equivalent of $10,000-$100,000 a year on organizing, traveling and jawboning -- in order to elect people to Councils who elect people to another Council who participate in the process of selecting a minority of ICANN's Board members.
>
>The only way to represent users is to give them a vote.
>
>The real issue is not ISOC's alleged dominance of the European RALO. It is the failure (or refusal) of Vittorio and other privileged interim ALAC members to recognize the failure of the organizational model for At-Large representation after ICANN's 2002 reforms. The European RALO is a last ditch attempt to maintain the fiction that this model can work. I agree with you, Danny, that it is bad to maintain that pretense. But don't put all the blame on ISOC. Anyone who does not call for major structural reforms in ALAC is guilty at this point.
>
>Perhaps ISOC chapters are complicit in this pretense, perhaps they are suckers. ISOC chapters are pretty diverse. I'm not sure it matters. The worst thing that can happen is that ICANN's Board will be given an excuse to continue pretending that there is a place for the public in its structures, and Vittorio and Roberto and the other "interim" ALackeys will get another two or three years of free flights and hotels at ICANN meetings. In other words, not much will change from the way things are now.
>
>  
>
>>>>Danny Younger <dannyyounger at yahoo.com> 1/21/2006 6:31:45 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>Veni,
>
>One of the four principles put forth in the White
>Paper was "representation".  
>
>This guiding document also stated:  "The new
>corporation's charter should provide a mechanism
>whereby its governing body will evolve to reflect
>changes in the constituency of Internet stakeholders.
>The new corporation could, for example, establish an
>open process for the presentation of petitions to
>expand board representation."
>
>Instead of expanding board representation, you and
>your fellow Board members have reduced board
>representation by eliminating an entire category of
>stakeholders from the Board -- the at-large community.
> My interest is in repairing the damage that you and
>your associates on the Board have caused, and
>restoring representation to the Internet's end-user
>community.
>
>As this list is devoted to governance issues, perhaps
>you might share with us your own views on board-level
>representation for the At-Large.  
>
>Danny
>
>--- Veni Markovski <veni at veni.com> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Vittorio,
>>please, do not get upset by such postings. They aim
>>at that, and nothing else.
>>You're trying to do something good - please, keep on
>>trying, and 
>>don't give up!
>>
>>Now, after we have heard what are your "interests"
>>according to 
>>Danny, perhaps we can hear what are also Danny's
>>interestes, so that 
>>the game is fair.
>>
>>
>>Veni
>>
>>At 10:30 21-01-06  -0800, Danny Younger wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Vittorio,
>>>
>>>Frankly, your interest is in continuing to promote
>>>      
>>>
>>a
>>    
>>
>>>construct that replaces a host of At-Large
>>>      
>>>
>>directors
>>    
>>
>>>with a single non-elected liaison to the ICANN
>>>      
>>>
>>Board.
>>    
>>
>>>Your agenda, and those of many of your associates
>>>      
>>>
>>on
>>    
>>
>>>the ALAC, calls for taking advantage of
>>>ICANN-sponsored travel perks while refusing to have
>>>your Committee discuss critical at-large matters
>>>      
>>>
>>(such
>>    
>>
>>>as representation) with the balance of the at-large
>>>      
>>>
>>    
>>
>
>
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>  
>

-- 

Carlos A. Afonso
Rits -- http://www.rits.org.br
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