AW: [governance] stakeholders vs. natural individuals

[Michael Gurstein]

Because of other responsibilities I've been only able to follow this
discussion on a hit and miss basis but I'm wondering what it does to the
issue of "Internet Governance" especially issues for example concerning
"individual users", if we recognize that almost certainly a majority of
the world's Internet users don't individually "own" their own access and
that a very large number of users in fact access the Internet through
some sort of community/collectively utilized facilities (cybercafes) or
collectively owned/managed facilities (Telecentres)?

A few other questions that come immediately to mind (and I don't' have
ready answers)
	* what would be the process of giving (privately owned)
cybercafe users some opportunity to participate in Internet
governance--the vast majority of users in China for example
	* what would be the process of integrating the governing
structures for communally managed (publically and NGO funded)
telecentres into Internet Governance--the vast majority in India for
exasmple
	* what is the inter-relationship to be between national
regulatory and administrative management regimes which are "governance"
intermediaries between a global internet and local users and globally
oriented Internet governance regimes

MG

-----Original Message-----
From: Karl Auerbach [mailto:karl at cavebear.com] 
Sent: April 16, 2007 12:58 AM
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; Mawaki Chango
Subject: Re: AW: [governance] stakeholders vs. natural individuals


Mawaki Chango wrote:
> All this is a little bit too romantic...

Hmm, perhaps I have not articulated my point adequately.

I'm not looking for Athenian democracy, far from it.

Rather I'm trying to prevent the opposite - the pre-ordained choosing 
(by whom?) of "stakeholders" that have built-in, fixed, permanent seats 
of power and authority.

Unless there is a period re-evaluation of whether aggregations actually 
express the opinions of the people who form them, those aggregations 
become detached from any reality except themselves.

There are not many national governments that overtly claim that they are

constructed on the principle that for-profit aggregations run the show; 
most governments still retain the appearance of people electing 
representatives to the governments they live under.

And even for-profit corporations give shareholders a vote for directors,

to vote on important measures and, if enough shareholders agree, to even

on occasion, to supersede the board of directors.

So I am not really convinced that occasional recourse to living, 
breathing people is all that much of a romantic notion.

And if it is such a notion, then I am proud to be a romantic.

The larger question is why we have chosen to so quickly abandon the idea

that people have no place in internet governance?

As for the point of ICANN - You are right that it is more than ICANN's 
erasure of elections that has caused it to become a combination in 
restraint of trade and an impediment to internet innovation.  It is also

the fact that for some reason the many seated directors have chosen to 
treat their seats as honorific positions on an advisory panel rather 
than as the representatives of the public interest who have a strong, 
fiduciary obligation to that interest.  How do we cure that?  The answer

is not nominating committee that pick the least of the least prickley. 
Rather it is elections that allow the public to throw the incumbents out

on their bums and install people who understand that they are the 
plenary authorities on their body of governance.

		--karl--


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