Re: [icann-eu] Draft comments on Study Committee

[Alexander Svensson <svensson@icannchannel.de>]

> <ftp://fitug.fitug.de/pub/icann-drafts/draft-tlr-study-00.txt>.

Once more, thanks for your efforts, Thomas! :)

I generally agree with Marc's comments.
On the last paragraph, my $0.02:
   Such a mechanism should also make sure that the weight given to
   attendance at eventual public meetings is appropriate. In
   particular, those who can't participate physically in such meetings
   for whatever reasons should not be disenfranchised during the
   consensus-building process. Neither can remote participation
   during the physical meeting be a full remedy, as the Internet 
   community is dispersed over a range of different time zones and 
   there are both financial and technical restraints that keep many
   users from participating remotely via a webcast of long duration.
   Any results generated at such physical meetings should therefore 
   be considered preliminary, and be subject to online discussion and 
   comment over a reasonable period of time. 

There is another area of the staff proposal which requires 
comment: Who pays the bill? From the staff proposal:

 [...] the Study Committee itself will still require 
 significant resources. There are no funds in the current
 ICANN budget for this purpose. The staff recommends that
 the community be asked to make suggestions for how the 
 Study Committee's work be funded in the comment period 
 recommended below. In addition, we suggest that the 
 Study Committee be required to include in its Melbourne 
 report a recommended budget (and suggestions for the 
 source of any funds not at that time already committed) 
 for the completion of its work from that point.

I hope (but am by no means sure) that Markle Foundation 
(USA), Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany) or similar 
institutions might consider contributing to the effort. 
But would (and should) they contribute funds which the 
Study Committee controls, or should they contribute
studies instead?

Best regards,
/// Alexander