How do we want DNSO to be?

[Ivan Pope <ivan@netnames.com>]

>> How do the attendees break themselves out by constituency?
>> Registry: 18
>> Registrars: 3
>> ISP and infrastructures: 7
>> Businesses: 1
>> TM: 2
>> At large: 3
>> (from the Monterrey meeting notes)
>>
>> If businesses equate with the Domain Name Owners, we must all agree that
>> they were pretty badly underrepresented in the meeting.

I have read the DNSO Monterrey meeting notes.
It seems to me that we are right back in the madness of trying to construct
a representative democracy in which all interests are finely balanced, in
which no party can 'capture' the organisation, in which we write all the
rules and regulations and byelaws before the thing exists.
I would state clearly that this way lies madness.

What is happening here is that the issues that are important to those who
are discussing them are what is driving the discussion. There is no thought
as to what will actually happen once the DNSO is formed, or even to what
its role and function will be. There is just an obsession that no-one be
'left out', or that we all are allowed to stake our little claims.

The preposterousness of splitting by constituency is obvious. So, 18
attendees at Monterrey were 'Registry's. Well, how do we define a Registry?
It is fairly clear that this is a self-selecting group. Is Network
Solutions a Registry or a Registrar? What about Nominet? What about AOL?
Oh, are AOL an ISP? Or maybe they are a business? No, they are an
Infrastructure? Do Thompson and Thompson provide Internet Services? Are
they then in the ISP group? Or are they in the TM?
I could easily, without blinking, put NetNames in all categories.

So what is the value of being in one category or another? Do these
categories have sole rights to discuss only 'their' subjects? Do we have to
pass any recommendations to all other categories? Can there be a veto?

Come on, we are building a nonsense nightmare. And worse than that, it is a
nonsense nightmare designed only to satisfy the immediate needs of those
currently engaged.

Firstly, we don't have to replicate the ICANN structure. We do have to
build a strong advocate for Domain Name issues. We have to have a fair and
open organisation that allows all voices to be heard and which can make
efficient decisions. We should pull together, not pull apart at this stage.

The DNSO should be a broad membership organisation, but there should be
limits on that membership. For example, we should not try to build a
multi-million membership organisation. We need to impose some restraints on
who can directly join, or it will be madness and we will fail in our brief.
And remember, failure leads right back to the USG controlling it.

I propose that we set out some idea of who we would like to join. In my
view this should be any organisation (or individual) who is prepared to pay
a joining fee and sign up.

I propose that we forget at this stage notions of categories or how many
representatives they can elect or what those representatives can and can't
do.

The general membership should elect a board of directors. The board of
directors should expand notions of accountability, mission and
consultation. There are millions of organisations out there who do this, so
its not rocket science.

Until DNSO is up and running we won't have the faintest idea of how the
membership want it to run or what they want it to do. Any attempt now to
settle this is an absolute definition of 'capture' in my book. Capture by
ourselves.

I propose that we find some general purpose bylaws that retain flexibility
to evolve the organisation.

That we invite members to sign up and pay their fees on this basis. I
suggest a fee of $1000 and an aim to recruit 1000 members.

That we ask ICANN to recognise that this organisation is aiming to become
the DNSO.

The membership will soon work out who stands for what, members with
different ambitions and aims and interests will find that they group
together, vote for candidates, join working and sub groups etc etc. Life
will start.

There, its as simple as that.

Thanks,
Ivan

Ivan Pope		  ivan@netnames.com
NETNAMES * The INTERNATIONAL DOMAIN NAME REGISTRY
http://www.netnames.com  UK Freephone 0800 269049

180-182 Tottenham Court Road London W1P 9LE UK
+44 171 291 3900          +44 171 291 3939 Fax

Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.
Hunter S. Thompson