[ga] Novating the General Assembly

["Patrick Corliss" <patrick@quad.net.au>]

On Monday, June 11, 2001 9:45 PM (AEST), one member wrote:
> Is there anything we could do differently on this for now?

It seems to me that there are two or three approaches which can be used
assuming you agree with the hypothesis that the General Assembly is not
working as intended.  Probable reasons are as follows:

(1)    Lack of Resources, Dependency.  The GA is hamstrung by the NC control
over GA operations.  They (the NC) control the budget for travel to ICANN
conferences, secretariat, website, legal advice, translation etc.  The DNSO
Secretariat is answerable to the NC not the GA.  The NC closed down all the
working groups at whim.    More importantly the NC controls the mailing
lists and the website.

(2)    Poor outreach.  List numbers of less than 300 is tiny.  Of those very
few post regularly.  We need more members and better liaison with
constituencies.  Often constituencies such as the NCDNHC are doing exactly
what we are doing.  We need co-ordination of this effort.

(3)    Narrow Opinion.  Views expressed are often contradictory,
unconstructive or hostile.  New members are dissuaded from joining.  If they
join they are dissuaded from posting.

(4)    Onerous Requirements.  Being a member of this list requires
super-human dedication.  In fact, it is a full-time responsibility way
beyong the capacity of any single individual.

Using the words of another member of this forum (in a different context), we
need to "read every appendix in every registry contract, the NAIS 130-page
report, all of the independent studies, all of the 3328 comments to the
Review Working Group, all of the comments posted to every other prior
working group, and to every official list".  But that's not all.  We also
need to "listen to each Names Council teleconference, review Scribe Notes
from every single Board meeting going back over several years, monitor
constituency and other policy mailing lists, and every list of the GA".

Not is that all.  We also have to write.  We need to explain and promote our
views publicly and privately, respond to private emails and list postings,
research the archives, form opinions.  Go to conferences.  The list just
goes
on and on.  We may even have a family and work commitments.  Not to
mention that we need to eat, sleep and enjoy some leisure time !!
<end reasons>

OK.  So what to do?  Well, part of it is obvious:

(1)    Generate independent funding to reduce dependence on Names Council.
(2)    Develop more structured debate ("board room rather than chat room").
(3)    Set up working groups to tackle specific issues.  Provides better
focus.
(4)    Other possibilities. . . ?

I'd appreciate your comments.

Best regards
Patrick Corliss

Key
AEST - Australian Eastern Standard Time
DNSO - Domain Name Supporting Organisation
GA - General Assembly of the DNSO
ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers
NAIS - The NGO and Academic ICANN Study
NC - Names Council of the DNSO
NCDNHC - Non-Commercial Domain Name Holders Constituency


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