I think this is an extremely important issue, and that the PAB should be
allowed to vote on this according to its formal procedures.
Unlike the question of one-letter SLDs, this question is of the greatest
importance. I urge you and the rest of the POC to take any answers to your
ballot below to be an informal answer only, and I urge the subsequent Chair
and Excom to take this matter up formally.
I have already responded to POC at length on this subject, as an individual.
Antony
At 10:19 PM 12/4/97 +0100, Javier SOLA wrote:
>PAB:
>
>The most important issue that we have on the table is the composition of
>POC. The actual proposal is to add nine members to POC, all of them elected
>by PAB, maintain the ones that are already there, except for ITU and WIPO
>who become non-voting.
>
>- POC will therefore have:
> 9 members elected by PAB
> 2 members elected by CORE
> 7 ex-officio voting members
> 2 ex-officio non-voting members
>
>I will try to ask very specific questions. If you think other questions
>should be added, please say so.
>
>Please answer, even if it is only to agree with the proposal.
>
>The proposal says about the new seats:
>
> Include in POC representatives of the following groups:
>
> 1. Operators and service providers - (3 representatives)
> 2. Business organizations other than operators and service providers (2
>representatives)
> 3. Consumers (1 representative)
> 4. At large members distributed geographically:
> a. Americas - one
> b. Europe, Africa and the Middle East - one
> c. Asia-Pacific - one
>
>1) Do you think that this distribution includes all the major players ?
>
>2) Is it fair to the parties involved (constituencies) ? (excluding CORE
>and ex-officio, in this question)
>
>2b) Do you think that geographical distribution could be attained in some
>other way ?
>
>3) Would you propose any changes ?
>
>4) Do you think that constituency representatives should only be voted by
>PAB members that are part of that constituency or by all members of PAB ?
>
>The proposal says that the following shall continue to be members of POC:
>
> 1. Two persons appointed by ISOC
> 2. Two persons appointed by IANA
> 3. Two persons appointed by IAB
> 4. Two persons appointed by CORE
> 5. One person appointed by INTA
> 6. One person appointed by WIPO (with non-voting status)
> 7. One person appointed by ITU (with non-voting status)
>
>5) Do you agree with this ? Do you want to add a counter proposal ?
>
>6) Do you think that the overall composition of POC as a whole represents
>all the interests in the Internet in a fair way (if such a thing exists) ?
>
>Javier
>
>---------------------------------------------------
>
>The proposal:
>
>_____________________________
>
>At the meeting of POC held in Brussels on 24 and 25 November, we
>addressed the single most serious issue remaining to be decided by POC,
>namely how to fulfill our publicly stated commitment to propose a plan
>for expansion of the POC.
> Two days of meetings produced what I believe is a rough consensus. I
>recognize that the emphasis is on "rough". There were strongly held
>views on some subjects that may be outside the consensus set forth
>below. This draft is being posted to both POC and PAB for discussion and
>comment before it is released to the public for further discussion and
>comment. THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD NOT BE MADE PUBLIC UNTIL POC AND PAB HAVE
>HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW IT.
>********************************************************************
> DRAFT
>
> The rough consensus of the Policy Oversight Commitee (“POC”) regarding
>expansion of the POC to represent more clearly the entire spectrum of
>interests of the stakeholders of the Internet community is described in
>this document. As a part of the consensus, the POC has decided to
>solicit public comment on the expansion proposal.
>
> I. Introduction
>
> From the inception of the International Ad Hoc Committee (“IAHC”) in
>September, 1997, the IAHC and its successors, the interim POC, and now
>the POC have explicitly and publicly recognized the need for
>evolutionary growth and development of the entire program for expansion
>of the generic top level domain name system, including the composition
>of the POC. The IAHC was formed and chartered by the Internet Assigned
>Numbers Authority (“IANA”) and the Internet Society (“ISOC”) to develop
>this expansion program. The original eleven members of the IAHC were
>chosen to represent as broad as possible a range of interests in the
>Internet community, as to be geographically distributed. The selection
>of members succeeded in bringing together a diversity of views and a
>geographically well distributed group, but the limitation to eleven
>members, and the selection process, directed initially by IANA and ISOC,
>has been criticized as not giving explicit recognition to some interest
>groups.
>
> The gTLD-MoU now provides that the POC consists of twelve members
>appointed as follows:
> IANA - two appointments
> ISOC - two appointments
> Internet Architecture Board (“IAB”) - two appointments
> Council of Registrars (“CORE”) - two appointments
> International Trademark Association (“INTA”) - one appointment
> World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) - one appointment
> International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”) - one appointment
> Representative of the Depository of the Memorandum of Understanding on
>the Generic Top Level Domain Name Space of the Internet Domain
>Name System (“gTLD-MoU”) (the ITU) - one appointment
>
> The POC has agreed to an amendment to the gTLD-MoU to provide for the
>appointment of two additional members to be appointed by the Policy
>Advisory Body (“PAB”). Pending the formal amendment, which requires
>action by IANA and ISOC, PAB has appointed two observers to POC.
>
> Terms of the above appointments are for three years, except that the
>organizations appointing two members initially appoint one for a one
>year term, and the other for a three year term. The gTLD-MoU directs
>each appointing group to endeavour to achieve equitable geographic
>distribution.
>
> (Further explanation of the identity and composition of the appointing
>bodies referred to above may be found at the POC web site:
>http://www.gtld-mou.org.)
>
> II. The Consensus
>
> In fulfillment of the promise of an evolutionary process, the POC has
>reached consensus on an expansion of POC to be achieved over a period of
>eighteen months, with an appropriate transitional structure to ensure
>stability in the administration of the gTLD-MoU program.
>
> Effective upon formal adoption by POC of this expansion program, and
>for a period of eighteen months thereafter, the gTLD-MoU will be amended
>to provide that POC shall have twenty members as follows:
>
> The PAB will have the power to elect nine members of POC. Nominations
>may be made by any member of PAB; each PAB member may nominate not more
>than one nominee; nominees need not necessarily be connected or
>affiliated with the nominating organization. Each nomination shall
>include a designation of the nominee as falling within one of the
>following classifications:
> 1. Operators and service providers - three
> 2. Business organizations other than operators and service providers -
>two
> 3. Consumers - one
> 4. At large members distributed geographically:
> a. Americas - one
> b. Europe, Africa and the Middle East - one
> c. Asia-Pacific - one
>Nominations by PAB shall be completed within one month following
>adoption of this expansion program by POC, and elections of members
>shall be conducted not later than three months following adoption. Each
>PAB member must select one and only one of the first three
>classifications in which it will cast one vote, and must select one and
>only one of the three geographic areas in which it may cast one
>additional vote. The nominees receiving the highest number of votes in
>each category will be elected.
>
> The following shall continue to be members of POC:
> 1. Two persons appointed by ISOC
> 2. Two persons appointed by IANA
> 3. Two persons appointed by IAB
> 4. Two persons appointed by CORE
> 5. One person appointed by INTA
> 6. One person appointed by WIPO (with non-voting status)
> 7. One person appointed by ITU (with non-voting status)
>
> Prior to the expiration of the eighteen month transition period, the
>POC shall determine, by vote of not less than two-thirds of the voting
>members of POC, the composition of the POC thereafter in whatever form
>the POC may determine.
> The gTLD-MoU shall further be amended to provide that, effective at the
>expiration of the eighteen month transition period, the gTLD-MoU may
>thereafter be amended by vote of at least two-thirds of the voting
>members of POC.
>