[Governance] Fwd: ICANN's decision on proposed PIR transaction

Sat May 2 07:47:29 EDT 2020

Yes long leave .org.

Naturally .org can only belong to .org.

On Friday, May 1, 2020, Arsène Tungali via Governance <
governance at lists.igcaucus.org> wrote:

> This is done!
>
> And I am wondering whether we could discuss lessons learned and anything
> we would have done better to not be hurt much by this situation.
>
> All in all, this was a learning experience for all of us, the Internet
> global community.
>
> Long live to .org!
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Andrew Sullivan, Internet Society <mailer at isoc.org>
> Date: Fri, May 1, 2020, 12:55 PM
> Subject: ICANN's decision on proposed PIR transaction
> To: Arsene Tungali <arsenebaguma at gmail.com>
>
>
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> to view it online.
>
> [image: Internet Society]
> Dear Arsene,
>
> Over the past several months there has been much discussion and interest
> within our community regarding the Internet Society’s plan to sell Public
> Interest Registry (PIR), operator of .ORG and other top-level domains, to
> Ethos Capital. Under PIR’s registry operator agreements, the Internet
> Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) must consent to this (or
> any other) indirect change of control in order for the transaction to move
> to the next phase of the approval process.
>
> ICANN has announced
> <https://www.icann.org/news/blog/icann-board-withholds-consent-for-a-change-of-control-of-the-public-interest-registry-pir>
> that it does not consent to the transaction. ICANN’s decision effectively
> means that the transaction cannot, and will not, proceed.
>
> I am, of course, disappointed by ICANN’s decision. ICANN took much longer
> than it should have to render its decision, and in my view, stretched
> beyond its own agreements and the remit in its bylaws. I am also concerned
> that ICANN has shown itself to be much more susceptible to political
> pressure than its mandate would recommend. Nevertheless, I am grateful that
> ICANN has now rendered a clear decision. This decision means that the
> period of uncertainty is over. In the future, we will continue to rely on
> our colleagues at PIR to provide exemplary registries in rigorous
> compliance with their ICANN agreements, and to continue to provide generous
> funding to the Internet Society.
>
> When the Internet Society Trustees accepted the offer from Ethos in a
> unanimous vote, they did so because they believed, and still do, that the
> transaction would be good for the Internet Society, good for PIR, and good
> for registrants in .ORG and all the registries PIR operates. It’s not very
> often where an opportunity presents itself that has advantages for everyone.
>
> When we announced the proposed transaction, several people, including some
> in our own community, expressed unhappiness with it. I want to acknowledge
> the criticism and emotions that greeted the transaction. I know there are
> members of the Internet Society who were angry and hurt by this proposal,
> and I am sorry about that.
>
> Several people also expressed disappointment about how the sale was
> handled. If we could have better apprised you, our community, in advance of
> this sale, we would have. Requests for large-scale consultation came from
> across our community; this was not something we could possibly undertake.
> The months since the proposal was announced have been hard on PIR’s staff,
> and an extended consultation without any clear picture of what the possible
> outcomes might be would have been worse for PIR and therefore for .ORG.
> Neither the Trustees nor I believed we could undertake such a consultation
> without damaging PIR, which would itself be harmful to the community that
> relies on .ORG.
>
> Our community has been through a trial, and to address it, the Board of
> Trustees has already embarked on efforts to repair our bonds. While there
> were differing views about aspects of the proposed transfer, we have a
> unity forged in our shared commitment to the Internet, and our collective
> will to build a stronger and more accessible Internet is as assured as ever.
>
> The organization has continued to develop its staff function to better
> respond to community needs, and to make sure that our work is both
> demonstrably useful to the Internet and relevant to its needs. We have
> received positive feedback about both the report of our 2019 activities and
> the Action Plan for 2020. Our work on encryption, protocols, global
> routing, time security, community networks, and other priorities are moving
> with pace. Together we have work to do, especially at this time of global
> crisis when reliance on communication – and especially the Internet - is
> critical for society.
>
> We will continue to grow the operations of the Internet Society
> Foundation, and we will keep working with our partners at PIR to ensure
> that the Internet Society can continue to build, promote and defend the
> Internet. In no way will this disrupt or slow the work of the Internet
> Society, our chapters or members, to achieve our vision of an Internet for
> everyone.
>
> Regards,
> Andrew Sullivan
> President & CEO, Internet Society
> [image: Internet Society]
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-- 
*WISDOM DONKOR*
President & CEO
Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation
P.O. Box CT 2439, Cantonments, Accra | www.aodirf.org  / www.afrigeocon.org
Tel: +233 20 812 8851
Skype: wisdom_dk | Facebook: kwasi wisdom |  Twitter: @wisdom_dk
__________________________________________________
Specialization:
E-government Network Infrastructure and E-application, Internet
Governance,  Open Data policies platforms & Community Development, Cyber
Security,  Domain Name Systems, Software Engineering, Event Planning &
Management,
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