[IDNO:540] Re: [ISOCNZ-L] ICANN @ INET

Joop Teernstra (terastra@terabytz.co.nz)
Wed, 23 Jun 1999 15:14:00 +1200


This letter would have my broad support as ISOCNZ member and as spokesman
for the Individual Domain Name Owners' constituency.
May I suggest that you also copy this letter to Dave Farber
<farber@cis.upenn.edu>and perhaps even to senator John McCain
<John_McCain@McCain.senate.gov>, also journalists like Nick Patience
<nick@computerwire.com>,
Jeri Clausing <jeri@nytimes.com>
Anything to help influence the ISOC Board of trustees to change their mind,
even from non-ISOC members such as ISOCNZ.

At 10:47 23/06/1999 +1200, jshearer@cs.auckland.ac.nz wrote:
>
>Hello All,
>
>INET is starting and I've written a proposed submission (after preliminary
>sounding out of Jim and Peter Dengate Thrush) which I guess John Hine and
>Patrick could present to Vint Cerf and Don Heath. Note this is NOT (yet)
>read or authorised by the ISOCNZ Council though I hope it will be, if
>members support it. I am not a Council member.
>
>People would have to indicate immediate support for this to go in the next
>day or so. My apologies for the short notice and for not putting it to
>Council but we have an opportunity to make a contribution here.
>
>To : Vint Cerf, ISOC Board of Trustees.
>
>ISOCNZ Submission to ISOC.
>
>ISOCNZ, as an organisation with a membership application currently before
>ISOC, would like to put the following submission before the Board. We note
>it is a time of crucial development for the Internet.
>
>
>Addressing The Question of ICANN and Internet Governance.
>
>
>
>A number of sectors meet at the point of Internet governance. These include
>the public sphere, e-commerce, and the rule of law, or , where this is too
>unwieldy, the conventions of democratic behaviour.
>
>The endeavour to create ICANN as a globally supported governance vehicle
>has been successful in that the dialogue between the different sectors has
>begun. But this has not led to a satisfactory process in which all sectors
>have found their best interests fairly represented.It is now up to the
>Internet community to establish a governance form which will create from
>the current debacle of ICANN's undemocratic attempt to hastily impose
>regulation, a fair and considered process which will take the Internet
>safely into the new millenium. The ICANN initiative, which was to create a
>stable global governance of the domain name system, has mushroomed into a
>large projected structure which is attempting to create policy on some of
>the most critical political control issues of the Internet: is moving
>towards content control via taking charge of trademark disputes; and
>towards imbalance of power between established big business/small business
>( also via trademark regulation).
>
> The current structure of ICANN would appear to breach the UN Universal
>declaration of Human Rights; is at this moment undemocratic in its
>structure; is not following its own bylaws; and despite loosely worded
>assurances about protecting "the little guy", has not developed a concept
>of representation of the Internet community . Indeed, it has fallen back on
>big business as backers for a round of decision making which would be
>deleterious to the Internet if actioned.
>
>It is time for the Internet to "take a breather", reassess the failures of
>ICANN, and to rally around established Internet community leaders for a
>statement of principle and a rational progression through the key issues of
>the Internet. This may not be an overnight process, nor should it be. The
>robustness of the Internet is equal to the challenge of careful setup of
>democratic process. Change is necessary, but not at the cost of loss of
>freedom to the new citizens of the Internet who are looking towards ISOC,
>ACM, and industry and national delegations, for a responsible outcome.
>
>ISOCNZ would welcome a US Congressional investigation into the activities
>and structure of ICANN, and would ask ISOC to withdraw its support of
>ICANN. In its place, ISOCNZ would request that established representatives
>of the Internet community including ISOC and ACM, Net-friendly
>corporations and non-profits, independents such as ISOCNZ and other
>Internet based organisations, work together to establish rational
>principles and procedures by which a fair and balanced process of decision
>making, possibly through a redeveloped ICANN, may start. It is time for the
>Internet to move beyond amateur processes of public policy and take up the
>challenge of democratic, lawful, and representative governmance
>procedures.The importance of this process being initiated is beyond the
>small print of pseudo-legal organistions such as ICANN. At stake is the
>future of the global public forum, the success of small businesses around
>the globe and their accompanying importance to their own economies, and the
>new role of responsible national governments which accept the global
>communications environment.
>
>We hope that INET may prove a starting point for ISOC Chapters to accept a
>full consultative role, in collaboration with their own democratically
>elected leadership and with the democratically elected leaders of the ACM,
>and that these organisations will develop a key role in the organisation
>which is needed to replace the existing ICANN, and other Internet
>governance bodies of the future.
>
>ISOCNZ, [Jim Higgins, Jenny Shearer]
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>-
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>

--Joop Teernstra LL.M.-- , bootstrap of
the Cyberspace Association,
the constituency for Individual Domain Name Owners
http://www.idno.org

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