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

[Mawaki Chango]

Dear all,

Please find the current draft below. Please make sure to propose actual
wording if you're not happy with any passage of this text. I might not be
able at this point to digest lengthy comments and capture the gist into a
sentence or two that will satisfy you.

Also, I wanted to note that this may not be an actual "press release" but
an IGC statement. Why do you folks think? Have we done press releases
before, and does that suit the current situation?
Thanks,

Mawaki


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.



The Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) welcomes this decision and appreciates
the opportunity for these functions and the stewardship of the Internet
domain name system (DNS) to further evolve toward a governance model that
is truly global and widely accepted. IGC particularly acknowledges with
satisfaction the reiteration by NTIA of the necessity to involve all
stakeholders in the process as well as in the subsequent arrangements
completing the transition toward the privatization of the DNS
administration.



Supportive of the four principles put forward by NTIA to guide ICANN and
the global Internet community in the formulation of a transition proposal,
the Caucus wishes to particularly emphasize the need for maintaining the
openness and the global availability of the Internet while continuously
improving not only on its security but also on its safety for all users
around the globe.



Whereas the Caucus recognizes that the structures that develop protocols
and set technical standards for the Internet play and will continue to play
an essential role, we also note that it is equally crucial for the future
arrangements to be inclusive of, and give effective consideration to, the
concerns and views of Internet users, citizens and civil society
organizations across the world, in developed as well as in developing
regions.



Indeed IGC supports the multistakeholder policymaking model to the extent
that it is meant to be inclusive, bottom-up and consensus driven and, as
such, it enhances democracy by seeking further participation from all
people potentially impacted by its decision outcomes. It is our constant
concern to make sure the term 'multistakeholder' is not reduced to mean
'anti-intergovernmental' or 'private sector led' but is rather positively
open to embrace and actualize a 'pro-all-peoples-of-the-world' meaning.



Finally, IGC is concerned that beyond phasing out NTIA's current role,
there remains the question of the jurisdiction to be applicable to the
structure that will emerge from this transition. For such structure to be
truly global, the Caucus feels it is important that it not be subject to
one national jurisdiction but rather to an internationally recognized legal
mechanism. It is in this context that appropriate accountability
instruments should be carefully designed for the new governance institution.



The Internet Governance Caucus
March xx, 2014.
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