[ga] A disturbing trend

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

I have noted a number of recent At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) comments regarding Civil Society that give me cause for concern.  

As we all know, the ALAC is chartered to give the ICANN Board advice regarding the concerns of individual At-Large members.  If you're new to this forum, you might reasonably ask "Who/what is an At-Large Member?"  Several years ago ICANN had a Membership Advisory Committee (MAC) that investigated this question and concluded that "At-large membership is for those individuals and organizations that are not represented by the Supporting Organizations".  http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rcs/conrades.html

At present, we already have a Supporting Organization (the GNSO) that through its Non-Commercial Constituency represents the interests of Civil Society.  If Civil Society is therefore already represented in the ICANN Process, why then are we to regard Civil Society groups as members of the At-Large?  

First, consider the following comments:

1. The At Large Advisory Committee, as mandated by the ICANN Bylaws, is currently setting up a practical organizational structure to foster the representation and participation of Internet users and their civil society organizations from around the globe. 

2. ICANN policies on such matters as implementation of internationalized domain names and privacy of personal Whois data need to reflect the needs and opinions of the global civil society. 

3. At-Large Advisory Committee has organized this outreach workshop to promote effective participation of Africa?s individual Internet user groups and civil society organizations

4. Its activity is underpinned by a growing set of civil society organizations ? the so-called At-Large Structures ? that involve and inform diverse types of users all around the world.

5. In the structure of ICANN, the ALAC is the civil society equivalent to the GAC

6. We could use this day for the usual public joint meeting with the NCUC 

It appears to me as if the ALAC is viewing itself as the mouthpiece for Civil Society within ICANN.  They are arranging for joint mailing lists with the non-commercial constituency (see http://forum.icann.org/mail-archive/alac/msg00825.html ), and are setting up another set of joint meetings with the NCUC.  This is not what the ALAC was chartered to do.

The ALAC is supposed to be representing the interests of those who otherwise have no representation within ICANN -- individuals or groups like icannatlarge or the former IDNO.  If the ICANN Board needs advice on Civil Society concerns, let it get such advice from the NCUC, and let the ALAC focus on their actual mandate:  presenting the concerns of the unrepresented to the ICANN Board.

 

1. http://alac.icann.org/wsis/statement-wsis-20jan04.htm 

2. http://alac.icann.org/announcements/announcement-16dec03.htm 

3. http://alac.icann.org/meetings/alac-workshop-01feb05.html 

4. http://alac.icann.org/announcements/ALAC_Contribution_to_the_Consultations_on_WGIG.doc

5. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/forum/intgov04/contributions/Bertola%20-%20End%20User%20Involvement.PDF 

6. http://forum.icann.org/mail-archive/alac/msg00929.html 


		
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