[governance] Re: Burr & Cade: proposal for introducing multi-lateral oversight of the root

[Vittorio Bertola]

McTim ha scritto:
>> The Burr-Cade proposal only addresses a very small, but important issue
>> many governments have raised: what if the USG considers that my country
>> code has to disappear from the Internet ?
> 
> But if you remove all governments, you remove this issue as well.

While I agree with you in theory, practice shows that, from entire areas 
of the world, the only participation you get is through the government. 
We should push for multistakeholder models rather than for 
intergovernmental ones, but at the same time I wouldn't be happy to 
throw the problem of US oversight out of the door (by removing any kind 
of governmental approval function) and then see it come back again from 
the window (because, for example, the entire private sector 
representation is dominated by US multinationals).

Beware that any maneuver towards total removal of governmental oversight 
might be perceived as an attempt to support the continuation of US 
hegemony over the Internet in other, less evident forms; if that is not 
your objective, you should couple your proposal with clear provisions to 
ensure real geographical, cultural and political diversity (no, an 
Australian does not represent Asia, and an executive of a US company 
from an African country does not represent Africa).

As an example, just have a look at the composition of ICANN's new 
"Strategy Committee", which is handling exactly this process of 
reforming ICANN's institutional structure:

http://www.icann.org/announcements/psc-consultation.htm

(at the end). Is that the kind of multistakeholder diversity we 
envisage? Seven developed country members over eight? Seven over eight 
male? Five over eight with English as their mother tongue? All of them 
from US businesses (oh wait, there's a New Zealander) or from 
governments? (Apparently, we just got one civil society person into the 
group. We proposed two, but we were told: hey, one is enough!)

And to this regard:

> I see ICANN continuing it's reforms towards transparency and
> openness. 

...this is the best joke of the year :-)
-- 
vb.             [Vittorio Bertola - v.bertola [a] bertola.eu.org]<-----
http://bertola.eu.org/  <- Prima o poi...
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