[ALSC-Forum] ICANN Games..

[Jeff Williams]

DannyYounger@cs.com wrote:

> Jefsey,
>
> You are correct in noting the problem of "competition" and how it impacts on
> At-Large organizing activities.  This type of threat from other
> well-organized competitors is one of the reasons that ICANN will never accept
> ITU propositions (no matter how reasonable) as they too are perceived as a
> well-financed government-supported technically-competant potential rival for
> the DNS resources that ICANN controls.

  I don't know about this Danny...  The Lynn/simms/Touton Plans seems
and awful lot like exactly what the ITU has in mind...

>
>
> How many folks would willing set a place for their rivals on the Board of the
> organization that they manage?

  The ICANN Staff seems to be willing to do so...

>  An At-Large organization that constitutes 50%
> of the Board is certainly a potential threat to incumbent Board members.

  Yes it could be viewed as a threat or as an asset.  That depends on your
point of view...

>
>
> Are any of us so naive as to think that this Board would willing share its
> power (especially when they believe that even a small minority of vocal
> critics can hamstring the effective operation of their organization)?

  Yes I am.  Call me naive.  I think the ICANN BoD and staff had better
give such a serious consideration for the mid to long term view if they
are smart!  The consequences of not doing so are far worse for them
otherwise...

>
>
> It's time to accept a dose of reality, and to fight only those battles that
> have a realistic chance of being won.  Tilting after windmills may be a noble
> effort, but it is also a pointless expenditure of effort that could be better
> applied elsewhere.

  Well I suppose again this is a point of view as well.  ANd it depends
on what, and whom (in the collective sense) you are "Tilting at Windmills"
with, Danny.  However I don't see the analogy of "Tilting at Windmills"
as even and applicable one here.  ICANN is still a paper tiger.  It still
gets it power from the stakeholders/users whether it recognizes that
fact or not...  But if those stakeholders/users organize, and work
together even loosely, they can make a huge difference..

>
>
> Sure, the situation stinks... but if any change is going to occur internally
> we have to be prepared to work "with" the Board, rather than "against" the
> Board.

  And vise versa..

>  The only other option is to work in the political sphere to force the
> Department of Commerce to re-bid the ICANN contracts, and I don't assess our
> current chances to succeed in that mission as being very strong.

  Perhaps you are right here.  Than again perhaps your not.  In any event
or either way, that also will not be a deciding factor...

>
>
> The DoC will certainly accord ICANN the opportunity to sort out its own mess
> as long as they believe that a sincere effort is being made.  ICANN will
> survive this current round of "oversight" and will buy additional time to
> make sufficient improvements to keep the Congress off of its back.

  Again this remains to be seen, but also may be a good analysis.

>
>
> You may dispute this political assessment, but ICANN management is
> well-skilled in playing the "game", and need only point to the "teething
> problems" that any organization in its infancy faces.  They will get the time
> that they need to implement changes.  It is up to us to fight for the types
> of changes that this Board can live with, otherwise we are doing nothing more
> than spinning our wheels.

  I don't agree with this completely or even very much.  Yes it is true that
the ICANN BoD and staff will use and has used all sorts of excuses
thus far to sway congress and the DOC/NTIA to a degree.  But that
is changing and has been gradually.

>
>
> Win enough small battles and skirmishes and you may eventually win the war.

  Well the CSA and Robert E. Lee  took this approach in after 1862.  Well
you know the outcome.   You have got to fight some of the "Big Ones" to
win the war... Win or loose...  Remember Vietnam?  The Vietminh lost
every single big engagement, and most of the little ones too...  But they
won the war by discouraging the enemy to the point of vacating the
battlefield politically...  But the Vietminh knew they still had to fight some
of the big ones, and loose, to be successful...

Regards,
--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup - (Over 121k members/stakeholdes strong!)
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
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