RE: [ga] NC BS

[Joanna Lane <jo-uk@rcn.com>]

Brett,
Great post, but I confine myself to one (long) comment on this part:-

If an ICANN policy benefits registries
> and registrars, but is detrimental to registrants and other
> end-users, then
> ICANN has failed. Note well that the converse is not true.

If you go to:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/bbc/acc_how.shtml, and use that as
a role model, you will see that twelve Governors could be appointed by the
USG to ensure that ICANN/ it's successor agency fulfills its obligations.
They are men and women with a wide range of experience and interests in
public service and the arts, business and industry. Among them are figures
that could be considered as National Governors for the five or six ICANN
territories. One Governor has special responsibility for the US Region. The
BBC has a track record dating back to your parents generation - in short, it
works. (ok, I'm biased, I worked for them fulltime for more than 10 years).
Bur please check it out.

All would be part-time non-executives. They would meet monthly and hold
ICANN managers to account for their performance against the agreed strategy
and objectives. The Governors ensure that ICANN is

1. directed and managed in the public interest and accountable to license
payers (aka domain name registrants) and Parliament (aka the USG or some
elected GAC body that is regarded as having global authority over the
internet)
2. complies with its Charter, Agreement and other regulations
3. complies with the law
4. maintains the high standards and values expected of the ICANN as the
internet's regulator.

There are many other checks and balances in place, but in a nutshell, ICANN
would be led by the Director-General, who is both chief executive and
editor-in-chief. The Governors appoint the Director-General and (with the
Director-General) the most senior management. A new management structure
places stronger emphasis on allowing the full raft of website content to
flourish, including non-profit and minority interests as well as commercial,
which all helps to reduce overheads. Operations are run by the directors of
gTLDs, ccTLDs, publishing and professional divisions and so on and....by the
chief executives of ICANN's commercial businesses (yes, we must make a
provision for a part of ICANN to develop into a commercially profitable
entity separate from the main ICANN). They report to the director-general
and together make up the Executive Committee. A less formal Leadership Group
meets to discuss and develop a clear vision for ICANN.

Please give the BBC a good hard look, because essentially, while we're all
scrambling to draft sections for "the dummies guide to running a public
interest organization running the internet". with a few minor adjustments,
the BBC has it all, more than you would ever need to solve current dilemmas.

The salient point is that in a public interest organization such as the BBC,
(and hopefully ICANN/ Newco), the supply side doesn't have a vote. It exists
by the simple laws of supply and demand. This would mean relegating the
supply side to a service contract with ICANN, to keep the services going
that people want to purchase, such as data escrow for individual
registrants, meanwhile getting rid of the unattractive parts, such as WLS
(if so determined). This sounds horrific to most stakeholders within the
ICANN process, so please, go look at the BBC then come back and show me the
supply side hasn't thrived - in fact, the BBC is the greatest benefactor of
the film and TV industries over the tough economic times. The simple fact is
that I, along with the rest if the users in this world, want the supply side
to survive and compete - that's where we get user choice. This is the
direction where we need to go, several lifetimes away from what is currently
on Philip Shepard's Radar screen.

Philip knows exactly what I'm talking about, he was born and raised on a BBC
diet.
James, I should post this to your new list "what replaces icann next" list,
but I wanted to answer Brett and not sure of cross posting rules there?

Regards,
Joanna





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