[atlarge-discuss] Fw: Potential input on ICANN reform

[Sotiris Sotiropoulos <sotiris@hermesnetwork.com>]

Please let me know approximately how many individuals are
members of, or involved in, or are represented by your
organization.  I need to include an approximate number in
the text below (if it's used) and in my presentation to
the Board in Bucharest.  Thanks. Denise **Draft 1.0**As
ICANN’s Evolution and Reform Committee and Board of
Directors considers changing the corporation’s policy and
decision making structures and processes, as well as other
operational elements, we ask that you take into account
the progress and promise of our At-Large organizing
efforts.

We are members of the newly formed “At-Large Organizing
Committee” and we represent “At-Large Structures” that
have been formed, or designated, throughout the world to
provide meaningful, informed participation by Internet
users in ICANN.In response to the Board's decision in
Accra that "ICANN should have a robust At Large mechanism
…of the kind recommended in the [At-Large Study Committee]
ALSC report," we are building “bottom-up, self-organized,
local Internet community institutions and other
organizations that meet the general criteria of openness,
participation, and self-sustainability.”We have committed
to:

     Meet general criteria of openness, participation, and
     self-sustainability;
     Engage in outreach to, and education of, individual
     Internet users about ICANN and ICANN issues;
     Involve individual Internet users, aggregate views,
     and identify relevant Internet user priorities;
     Solicit the opinions of our members on these issues;
     and Work with other ICANN stakeholders to address
     issues and develop positions on Internet policy
     issues that fall within ICANN's mission

At this writing, there are 13 At-Large Structures
worldwide representing over …. individual Internet users:

     (Worldwide) icannatlarge.com (www.icannatlarge.com)
     (Africa) Internet Society Madagascar
     (www.isoc.mg/cop/isoc)
     (Asia-Pacific) Cyber Law Solutions Ltd
     (www.naavi.com)
     (Europe) Internet Society Bulgaria (www.isoc.bg)
     (Europe) Confederation of European Computer User
     Associations(CECUA)(www.cecua.org)
     (Europe) Sistemas T&igr;cnicos de Ense&rgr;anza
     Consultores(STEC)(www.stec.info)
     (Europe) ISOC Finland (www.siy.fi)
     (Europe) ISOC Italy (www.isoc.it)
     (Latin America/Caribbean) Internet Society Argentina
     Chapter (www.isoc.org.ar)
     (Latin America/Caribbean) LatinoamerICANN
     (www.latinoamericann.derecho.org.ar)
     (North America) Institute for the Study of
     Information Technology and Society (InSITeS)
     (www.cmu.edu/insites)
     (North America) Computer Professionals for Social
     Responsibility (Civil Society Democracy Proj.)
     (www.CPSR.org)
     (North America) California Democratic Party, Computer
     & Internet Caucus (www.ca-dem-net.org)

The At-Large Organizing Committee, an informal group that
was created to guide and encourage At-Large organizing, is
comprised of representatives of these At-Large Structures,
as well as one member each from the former At-Large Study
Committee and the former NGO and Academic ICANN Study
(NAIS) group.The Committee currently includes the
following members:

     Esther Dyson (ALSC - ICANN At-Large Study Committee,
     www.atlargestudy.org)
     Christian Ahlert (NAIS - NGO and Academic ICANN
     Study; www.naisproject.org)
     Izumi Aizu (NAIS - NGO and Academic ICANN Study;
     www.naisproject.org)
     Satyajit Gupta (Icannatlarge.com,
     www.icannatlarge.com)
     Sotiris Sotiropoulos (Icannatlarge.com,
     www.icannatlarge.com)
     Andriamparany Marius (Internet Society Madagascar,
     www.isoc.mg/cop/isoc)
     Ramboasalama Haja (Internet Society Madagascar,
     www.isoc.mg/cop/isoc)
     Na.Vijayashankar (Cyber Law Solutions Ltd,
     www.naavi.com)
     Dimitar Kirov (Internet Society Bulgaria,
     www.isoc.bg)
     Veni Markovski (Internet Society Bulgaria,
     www.isoc.bg and Global Internet Policy Initiative -
     GIPI - Bulgaria)
     Prof. Dr. Jon Thorhallsson (CECUA - Confederation of
     European Computer User Associations, www.cecua.org)
     N&idigr;ria de la Fuente Teixid&sgr; (STEC - Sistemas T&igr;cnicos
     de Ense&rgr;anza Consultores, www.stec.info)
     Gonzalo Auza (Internet Society Argentina Chapter,
     www.isoc.org.ar)
     Edmundo Valenti (Internet Society Argentina Chapter,
     www.isoc.org.ar)
     Gabriel Pi&rgr;eiro (LatinoamerICANN,
     www.latinoamericann.derecho.org.ar)
     Erick Iriarte Ahon (LatinoamerICANN,
     www.latinoamericann.derecho.org.ar)
     Peter M. Shane (InSITeS - Institute for the Study of
     Information Technology and Society,
     www.cmu.edu/insites)
     Ramayya Krishnan (InSITeS - Institute for the Study
     of Information Technology and Society,
     www.cmu.edu/insites)
     Hans Klein (Computer Professionals for Social
     Responsibility/Civil Society Democracy Project,
     www.CPSR.org)
     Andy Oram (Computer Professionals for Social
     Responsibility/Civil Society Democracy Project,
     www.CPSR.org/www.CivSoc.org)
     Rick Hauptman (California Democratic Party, Computer
     & Internet Caucus, www.ca-dem-net.org)
     Tommi Karttaavi (ISOC Finland, www.siy.fi)
     Vittorio Bertola (ISOC Italy, www.isoc.it)

With no funding currently available in ICANN's budget, the
Board authorized the acceptance of initial contributions
to fund coordination for the creation and nurturing of
At-Large structures. Thus far, US$17,000 in donations has
been received.

Our goal is to represent individual Internet users in
ICANN’s development of policies and practices for the
management of the DNS, thus helping to ensure that ICANN
operates as a private entity for the benefit of the
Internet community as a whole. As stated by the ALSC,
"ICANN needs to be accountable not just to governments and
members of its existing Supporting Organizations, but also
to those who are affected by its actions. Actions ICANN
takes within its seemingly narrow technical and
administrative mission can affect (and generate interest
among) the world's individual Internet users in a myriad
of ways. These users hold a variety of values and
interests and represent a critical voice in how ICANN's
actions can and should impact them."

Our organizations are concerned about, and involved in, a
variety of Internet issues and, as members of the At-Large
Organizing Committee, we are currently discussing which
ICANN issues we will work together to address.Suggested
issues on which we could provide a collective “individual
Internet users” perspective include internationalized
domain names, practices and policies for registering and
transferring generic top level domain names (gTLD's)
(including access to, and use of, "who is" data),
domain-name intellectual property issues, introduction of
new top level domains (TLDs,) the implementation of IPv6,
the fair allocation of address space, and participation
and representation of At-Large in ICANN’s policy and
decision-making.

Although we are not yet in a position to offer detailed,
substantive input (having just formed last month), we
would like to share some general observations that may
assist ICANN’s Evolution and Reform Committee.

Since the Board agreed in Accra to support a
self-organized At-Large, and since our organizing efforts
are proceeding well and we expect them to be successful,
we believe the Board should plan to institutionalize a new
At-Large (at the appropriate time and with the appropriate
safeguards), with dedicated At-Large seats on the Board to
ensure that "individual user" perspectives are represented
in ICANN’s policy and decision-making.

We recommend that the Board also consider the
establishment of an At-Large Supporting Organization (with
an At-Large Steering Committee) comprised of our
organizations and future self-forming, self-supporting
At-Large Structures to help ensure individual Internet
user needs are reflected in ICANN work.  At-Large
Structures should be groups that meet specific criteria
(e.g. see www.at-large.org for criteria currently in use).

To facilitate coordination and effective policy-making, we
suggest the Board consider requiring:proposed policies and
issues be jointly referred to an At-Large Steering
Committee for review and input (under Board
guidelines/time limits); the At-Large Steering Committee
to designate liaisons to other policy-making and advisory
bodies; and designated ICANN staff to support the At-Large
Steering Committee’s work. Furthermore, we recommend the
Board consider allowing the At-Large Supporting
Organization to select their Steering Committee and Board
members under Board-approved guidelines/criteria. Finally,
to help ensure greater transparency, participation, and
accountability for ICANN's decision-making, we recommend
that ICANN establish specific time periods and mechanisms
for public participation in policy development.

Thank you for your consideration of our input.We look
forward to working with you as our At-Large efforts
continue to progress.

Sincerely,

(names and email addresses)


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