[governance] Re: ICANN taxes/fees

[Milton Mueller]

>>> George Sadowsky <george.sadowsky at attglobal.net> 2/5/2007 12:46:05 AM
>>>
>i wouldn't call what ICANN does "public policy."  I think that 
>it is their policy with respect to governance of the domain 
>name system and the security and stability of the Internet.  
>That is a necessary function if the Internet is to survive and 
>function.

I'm very surprised that we are still having this debate, after nearly
10 years. I guess eternal vigilence is the price of knowledge as well as
freedom. 

ICANN is a global governance institution; it does public policy. The
people who want to say that it doesn't are typically veteran technical
people involved in building the early Internet. They are intelligent
people and their perspective needs to be respected but they basically
have been in a state of denial for nearly a decade.  

On issue ssuch as .xxx, denial becomes impossible. It would be very
difficult for someone like Alejandro, e.g., to explain why he voted
aqainst that application on the basis of coordinating the technical
parameters of the Internet. The .xxx application technically was no
different than any other TLD. 

Since the DNS root is a monopoly characterized by very strong network
externalities, those who would escape ICANN/U.S. DoC's policy authority
must meet enormous costs that render most alternatives impossible until
and unless there are major technical changes. In the book Ruling the
Root I explained how this policy leverage is similar to, indeed directly
parallel to the way the U.S. FCC derives policy leverage over the
telecommunications industry via its control of the radio spectrum. 

Control of supply of a resource is a policy decision. IF you control
entry into a market -- be it taxicabs, domain name registries,
broadcasters, medical practitioners -- you are a regulator. 
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