RE: [names] Re: [council] Urgent! : response is required : ICANN Yokohama

["Ben Edelman" <edelman@law.harvard.edu>]

Hiro wrote:

> Instead,
> Masa (local host) and I agreed that if NC and DNSO-GA meets
> with Webcasting, the room should be the same as the ICANN
> Public and Board considering the cost and labor to have 2 sets
> of Webcasting facility. So we thought DNSO should first decide
> whether NC and DNSO-GA meetings will use Webcasting or not.
> That's why I posted a message to NamesCouncil to ask whether
> these meetings will use Webcasting.

What you suggest here is fine and makes complete sense *if* the Names
Council is in a position to decide now whether or not DNSO meetings will be
webcast.  In fact, I previously took the decision already to have been
made -- that there would be no DNSO webcasting in Yokohama, as stated in
<http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/20000331.NCtelecon-minutes.html> (B.9), in
various council@dnso.org messages, and on the most recent NC
teleconferences.  On that understanding, I sent Masa (and others) room
requests, dates, and other details (most recently my Wed 4/19/00 11:30 PM
email) that did not anticipate webcasting DNSO meetings.

If the Names Council wanted to change that decision, it's not yet too late
to do so *assuming the main hall can be reserved on July 12*.  If the room
is not available, no webcast (using Berkman Center equipment or staff) will
be possible on July 14, for if the room isn't available for setup on the
12th (as well as the 13th), then we'll be doing setup on the 13th and 14th.

My biggest worry here is that the question of whether or not to webcast the
DNSO's Yokohama meetings will be deferred, greatly complicating the work of
meeting planners, and perhaps substantially increasing local organizers'
costs of room rental.  Speaking for my own team, I'm not prepared to bring
us to Japan a day earlier than necessary if it's not certain that funding
and rooms are available to make possible the DNSO webcasts; as we travel on
non-refundable not-easily-changeable tickets, and as some of us have other
personal plans contingent on our Yokohama obligations, it's therefore
important to me that the DNSO state with certainty that funding for the
webcast is or is not available.  In particular, it's not sufficient to try
to keep options open in the hope of getting funding later; enough other
questions depend on whether or not the DNSO's meetings are to be webcast
that to attempt to remain flexible in that respect unduly sacrifices other
important goals (namely efficiency and simplicity of planning, cost
reduction both for organizers and for ICANN, etc.).

In short, then, my sense is that a decision has to be made -- indeed, had to
be made (and was made) nearly a month ago!  Though I definitely understand
the desire to reconsider the question -- especially as the NC may not have
received detailed comment from the GA and others interested in the webcast
when the NC decided not to fund the webcast -- I urge you to make great
haste in seeking outside funding so that a final decision can be reached
ASAP.


> My current understanding is that there is possibility to have
>   July 13 : set-up webcasting facility at Main Hall
>   July 14 : NC and DNSO-GA with webcasting at Main Hall
>   July 15 : ICANN Public meeting at Main Hall
>   July 16 : Board at Main Hall

Again, this is possible *ONLY* if the main hall is available for setup on
July 12, for experience shows it to be difficult to impossible to setup all
the necessary equipment in a single day.