Re: [ga] Increased foreign attendance
At 13:43 29/06/2007, Prophet Partners Inc. wrote: We would all love to go into the records of the board meetings, but as everyone here knows the meetings are held in private behind closed doors. Where is the elusive transparency and accountability in ICANN processes and decision making as mandated by ICANN bylaws? Dear Ted, for years we see the same ICANN's play with Roberto, Danny, Joop, Sotiris, Jeff, Hugh, Chris, Karl, Chuck, George, Michael etc. and I. Each time a few guest players, we know the full clue of the story! ICANN board is fully transparent: they say "amen" after they are told they will be said to have voted "yes". What is not transparent is when BoD Members come and say they voted "because" ... They are not allowed to that: either they would not be on the Board or would not be hired in the Staff further on. Anyway it is nice to see new comers jointing, and that old timers did survive ... Debbie, ICANN is a fuse to protect the NTIA from being financially accountable in case of a big Internet failure, while retaining control. It has been very well legally crafted by a major lawyer named Joe Sims, who considered it subject to public rules "as any other US Agency". Not sure the fuse works for the BoD Members' responsibility. There are five main predicates to build the Internet that are documented by the IANA (Jon Postel's job): - protocol parameters (IETF) - countries, names and numbers (NTIA - protected by the ICANN "talkscreens" - the more you talk the more you make it look real) - languages (you know who want to control, and I say they can only be technically served) The Internet is too important to the US security and economy (http://whitehouse.gov/pcipb/) for ICANN to be involved. They just are an host for the IANA (look at their contract). They must deliver as a soft International agency. For the reason you read in the NSA report, the ccNSO and GAC low water marks are an important concerns for them, not to be replaced as IANA keeper. This was discussed this year (cf. IAB/IETF Chairs' answer to the NTIA). Hence, IDNs. (1) this mailing list helps to fake a public interest. One or two people are probably paid by ICANN one way or another to keep it alive. (2) no one will want to tell you what would really happen should the 13 root servers stop just now and for ever. jfc
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