[governance] IGC press release in response to the NTIA announcement of March 14

[Mawaki Chango]

 Dear All,

Please find a draft of the above subject for your consideration and
possible revisions. This is just a first crack attempted considering the
speed of the events. I'm cc'ing BB as a peer organization with same
concerns.

We would appreciate your inputs by Monday noon, UTC.
---

IGC Draft Press Release

On March 14, U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to relinquish the
oversight role it has played so far with the Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) regarding key Internet domain name
functions.  As the announcement points out, this marks the final phase of
the transition intended from the inception of ICANN toward the
privatization of the domain name system (DNS) and its stewardship.



The Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) welcomes this decision and appreciates
the opportunity to further evolve toward an equitable multistakeholder
policymaking model for the governance of the Internet. In that regard, IGC
pays a particular attention to the reiteration by NTIA of the necessity to
involve all stakeholders in the process as well as in the desired outcome
for fully completing the above transition. [If deemed relevant by members
and subject to what the following actually entails: "Meet the needs and
expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA services"] We
also support the four principles put forward by NTIA to guide ICANN and the
global Internet community in the formulation of a proposal to finalize this
transition.


While acknowledging the primary role of Internet organizations and
technical standard-setting bodies, IGC wishes to call attention to the
utmost importance of giving due consideration to the concerns and views of
non-technical and non-commercial stakeholders in Internet policies. Indeed
IGC supports the multistakeholder policymaking model to the extent that it
does not contradict the ideals of democracy, including due consideration to
the rights of minorities (in the context of Internet policy). It will be a
constant challenge to make sure the term 'multistakeholder' is not reduced
to mean 'anti-all-governments-of-the-world' but is rather open to embrace a
'pro-all-peoples-of-the-world' meaning.


Furthermore, a great deal of care should be given to designing the
appropriate accountability mechanisms that fits a truly global governance
institution - with a constituency and a customer base that actually is
global. Related to that and more broadly, adequate responses must be found
to the concern that while achieving effective accountability such
institution (to emerge from this transition) should not be subject to any
one national jurisdiction at the exclusion of others. It must be equally
available and accessible to all Internet stakeholders.


Since ICANN is one of the co-conveners of the upcoming NETMundial, the
Global Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance (www.netmundial.br) to
be held in Brazil this April, we advise that it includes in its
consultation process for the transition proposal the propositions made in
submissions, proceedings and outcomes of that meeting as regards the
phasing out of the current role played by NTIA in the coordination of the
Internet's domain name system.



The Internet Governance Caucus

March xx, 2014.
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