Question: An organization like Network Solutions conducts business. An individual like my 10 year old son researches projects. Both are Internet users. What organizational and individual interests are at stake, and what processes need to be in place as ICANN develops policies for the greater good of all Internet users?

Nominee Replies

Lyman Chapin - posted on 2000-09-26 11:28:12 Almost everyone has more than one interest in the Internet, and those interests are collectively far more diverse than the distinction between commercial users (companies like NSI that use the Internet to conduct business) and non-commercial users (your son or my daughter). ICANN must represent the broadest possible diversity of Internet interests for two practical reasons: first, because only broad representation in its decision-making processes will confer legitimacy on its actions; and second, because the questions before ICANN are genuinely hard, and it will take the wisdom of every available perspective to find sound and lasting answers. Donald Langenberg - posted on 2000-09-24 13:54:27 You've stated well the objective. The trick is to make it a reality. Processes deserve a larger discussion than there's space for here, but I would note that by some important measures, the CEO of Network Solutions and your son have equal stakes in the success of ICANN's work. Emerson Tiller, J.D., Ph.D. - posted on 2000-09-19 22:59:51 As we all know, processes often determine who wins and loses. The only way to ensure that processes are fair, so that organizational and individual interests are taken into account, is to make sure the processes are transparent and not immutable. Most of the regulatory institutions in American government are hard wired with processes intended to benefit certain groups. ICANN must avoid such capture by making sure that its structure stays flexible enough to evolve and transparent enough to inspire informed criticism and change. There must also be a better balance of influence which means that the At-Large membership and its elected representatives must be given a more prominent status in ICANN's governance. Lawrence Lessig - posted on 2000-09-14 00:08:32 The critical space is the At-Large membership. The board has already signaled its impatience with the at-large membership; it has not ratified the election of the intended 9 members, and it has voted to study what the future of the at-large membership should be. In my view, the only question to study is how to strengthen the role of the at-large members as a check on the power of the board. I do think constituencies have a role -- but I also believe that the interests represented by these constituencies should be limited to their constituencies. Supporting organizations have their channel into the board. That should be distinct from the at-large membership. Karl Auerbach - posted on 2000-09-12 22:23:20 The ICANN of today is responsive primarily to business interests and not to those who use the Internet. That is wrong. Business has its place, but not to the exclusion of people and human values. First of all, ICANN must be reformed so that internet users have a real and meaningful role in the creation of the policies that affect them. It is not sufficient to depend upon the benign beneficence of things like the constituencies (essentially business trade bodies) that hold the decision making power of ICANN's Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO) See what I wrote regarding this at http://www.cavebear.com/ialc/platform.htm#opov and http://www.cavebear.com/ialc/platform.htm#idm Second - ICANN must be obligated to meet its three primary procedural requirements - open, transparent, and accountable processes. Take a look at my web page on this: http://www.cavebear.com/ialc/platform.htm#open-trans