Notes from the GAC to board meeting, March 12th, 2002 11:00 in the morning
DISCLAIMER: This protocol is not word by word, misunderstandings and incorrect speeling are mine.
Just hacked in editor while the meeting, no time to correct any errors yet.
-----
Paul Twomey Intrudoction: Necessary Structural Change, welcomed.
-
Stuart Lynn Propoganda:
Board careful considered, encouraged me to post it and the issues
raised in that report. Will not present the report here once more.
Philosophical Background: General sense, that several problems
raised want to bring to the court of the community. Beeing a
president now for a year minus a day.
ICANN is not a failure, has been very succesful with the help and
full participation of a whole community.
Certain kinds of problems beeing adress, serious doubts that ICANN
is in the position to solve this problems.
People say: ICANN´s mission needs to be a thin one, don´t know what
thin or thick definitions include, need to sharpen that. Need to
define what´s in and out.
One of the things that is in the proposal: privately organized
organization, will face the day it is responsible for managing
the root.
ICANN is a serious well managed effected organization on behalf of
the world´s internet stakeholders inclusive governments.
ICANN needs the full participation of the key stakeholders,
thought of in terms of agreements what´s been done very
informally already needs to be. Fully Participation, policy
formulating, participating also means to pay attentation that
ICANN is accurately funded.
I beleave that one of the key stakeholders is the world governments.
The internet became to important.
The perception of ICANN it is perceived more with process less with
effectivness.
There is a lack of conviction, including funding. Some say that very
narrow mission could be the solution of funding, but no one told me
on how to narrow the mission from the status we are in now.
Mission is much more complex, we are seriously underfounded.
I strongly believe we have to open up, we need to reform to fulfill
the mission. If we don´t make structural fundumental changes failure
might be the right term to use.
The proposal is a blueprint. Archived it´s purpose.
If there´s any better ways, we´d be glad to hear them.
For e.G.: the motion of public/private partnership could be in very
different forms. We´d welcome your ideas and motions.
How to bring in governmental ideas without jeopardizing the original
idea of the internet might be difficult. Explicitely the ideas of
funding might not work out in the way as proposed.
I´d invite you to think about this issues.
We don´t have the luxury time for a 3 year debate over it.
I don´t know how the process will be, but in bukarest we need
a blueprint on how to answer the questions of restructuring.
Need your input to able to include it at bukarest blueprint
for the board to make decissions on it.
Vint Cerf Comments:
CEO is doing what he is supposed to do. Board has not made any
decissions, had to listen to it to find out if the ICANN mission
fits to the structures.
But we have to make some serious progress at bukarest. Its non
surprised, that we need to envolve like the technology we
need to act on.
Also: Interest if we characterised the mission of ICANN correct,
also following the targets from the Mou with the USG/DOC.
Do we have the right modul of funding of the operation,
do we have the right structure?
We have a frequent confusion about internet governance and
icann governance. ICANN only adress allocation and domain
name regulation including policy.
Mechanics is easy, but questions about who under what conditions
get names is more complex. Successfull operation of ICANN also
depend from local governance.
I encourage you to respond to Stuarts Questions raised in the
proposal, to be able to make decissions as early as bukarest
meeting.
Paul Twomey Propaganda Moderating:
Carefull use of language
Strong Support of Language "Evolutionary Forms" of ICANN
Let me clear up something: Draft up for comment
Questions now
France:
First dicsussions have shown broad support, but some question
question about funding: could we get presentation about the
financial problems to be able to contribute the funding
Stuart:
I´d be happy to summarize finanical situation. Our current
budget runs about 5.5 Million US $ / a year
The revenues have not been realized, because the ccTLD community
only got 1.3 Million US $. Shortfall created because ccTLD
does not pay what it should. This year: 21 positions, 17 positions
now can be realized only. We have to spend a lot of time, that
we need the contributions.
Two problems: any org requieres reserves for protection against
this and that. About 1 year operation should be in reserves, we
have about zero reserves, fluctuation would cause real problems.
The other: Serious problems in financing the operations,
security committee for e.g. has problems, some of the idn issues,
evaluation of stuff.
(while he talked, electric power disrupted)
most important thing: understaffed and current staff is getting
burned out.
France:
Trustees you focused to put on the board. In what relation
shall they be to the governments.
Stuart:
That was left pretty vague to get your input from the
governmental community.
Thinking that it may be heart to have 5 people from
differnet govenrments, so thought it would be easier
to have nongovernmental people to be there.
I laied out a regional concept here. The problems of a region
might be more effective transformed, but may that s wrong and
you have better advise to us.
Cerf:
One thought, purely my own thought:
I consider every single trustee to have reponsiblity to the
internet at large.
Representatives of the board of trustees if they are somehow
endorsed by governments still need to have that full scope
of reponsibility.
Stuart:
Different of bringing input and voting (responsiblity)
ITU (?)
I guesss you know how governments work
Governments sign treaties and agreements
how shall this work out?
Stuart:
Nothing in my proposal suggests governments to sign anything
Still ICANN is getting in understanding with governments
Malaysia:
Government understand public/private partnership modells
What I´d like to hear is the feeling of other communities?
There seems to be a very heavy reactions, is what to be heard
at the coffeebreaks etc. because we as governments also have
to handle that realities.
Stuart:
We wouldnt be ICANN if anything we lay out would be just
getting support. Brought real problems to the surfaced,
so that is what needed to be done.
Controversial is ok.
European Commission, Dalmas:
There is a necessity to a new icann, dynamic betweens
users, internet infrastructure industry and governments.
Chronicity: we need the time of governments, we need to
interact with national administrations to raise positions
etc and that time might be more than internet time and
icann time, we need to give time..
Stuart:
We need to surprise because that´s whats happening
in an open and transparent organization, within 24
hours everyone knows etc.
Spain:
(hard to hear, microphone not working, fixed while she spoke).
question about nominees, dns still run by us org
users interests different than govenrmental interests
how do you want to adress public interests and gov interests
as well as pso, aso and other interests, how do you want
to take this into account? must work will all stakeholders.
we need to work with you all the time to mention public
interest in the issues.
Stuart:
Yes, but how to do this in the framework of icann, you need
to tell us how to realize this in the structure of icann
Vint:
Be careful not to confuse the public interest in internet and
public interest in icann. we do ourself a terrible disturbance
if we mix them up, we would mess up if we take or be the org
to be adressed all concerns about internet.
Small e.g.: world intellectual property but not icann is the
only institution, national level etc still lots of things todo.
Idea of trusteees works well in IETF and other technical
orgs. is populated by members of technical communities to take
the criteria to fulfull the mission.
nominating committee could do job to listen to all icann-groups
to listen to the criteria of people needed and also from the
governments? need to populate to fulfill the responsiblity.
Stuart:
ICANN not responsibily of policy and public interests everywhere.
If I mean public interest I of course only mean the areas where
ICANN is responsible.
Everyone wants somebody to be in charge. So watch areas of ICANN
scope by anything happening.
Paul Twomey:
Oberservations very true. Also now the problem that people want
someone to take care of everything. Helpful would be a list what
ICANN is responsible issues, and those issues thats outside the
scope of ICANN. Helpful to know who´s responsible for what in
the internet field (for e.g. wipo on some issues etc.)
Stuart:
Correct, that´s what we currently do to sort out and look what
is on the list, what should not be on the list.
Good sugeestion that we will take. To foresee is not possible.
Is one of the things we dont know how to do.
United States:
Question about stakeholder engagement. You wrote that stakeholders
dont have enough participation with ICANN, for e.g. governmental
participation not enough.
What strikes me is that Internet becomes very important to the
economy. For e.g. global ISPs, regional ISPs, large scale
business that are fulling our economy and are based on the
internet.
How will you seek to engage that groups? Do this by using the
GDPE? Or other forums, like asian forums like pet (?).
How identify stakeholders that are vital but not here.
Stuart:
Absolutely right, need to bring stakeholders to table, but
not only commercial but also non-profit stakeholders, such
as academic stakeholders.
Within the framework, we have bylaws to create constituencyes
so I would like to make ICANN an Instituion easyle for groups
to get into ICANN.
Blokzijl:
Would like to make a small correction. One Example for a potential
stakeholders, the ISP´s, they are already involved through the
local adress organizations. Just because you missed that they
are already involved does not mean that they are not there.
So this says something more about your understanding than about
ICANN.
Stuart:
Sorry but of course they also could get direct in process.
Vint:
Respond to a question that was not asked. Most people just want
it to work. Be careful with forcing people to participate in
something they simply want to work.
Paul Twomey:
Thank the board, this is a process we will follow, watch that
we need time to make our observations and express them.
Happy to have the views of different board members etc.
EOF