Considering that when we had direct elections we had representatives that, like for instance Katoh-san, were excellent Directors but not really defending the users' interests, the answer on all your questions below might well be "Probably yes". This said, I prefer to have an ALAC that is forward looking, and not an ALAC who chooses to go again on a path that has already failed in the past. Cheers, Roberto
-----Original Message----- From: alac-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [mailto:alac-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] On Behalf Of Danny Younger Sent: 18 October 2007 14:12 To: 'At-Large Worldwide' Subject: [At-Large] Next version of the Frameworks and Principles forAccountability and Transparency
This document cites as an "Internal Accountability" factor the "Representative Composition of the ICANN Board". As we all know, the users have no representatives on this Board -- they were eliminated when ICANN purged all at-large directors from the board several years ago -- as such, there is no internal accountability.
Had there been user representatives on half of the board, do you think that we would have gone for the last five years without registrant data escrow?
Had there been user representatives on half of the board, do you think that we would have waited for a calamity like RegisterFly before acting to update the RAA?
Had there been user representatives on half of the board, do you think that we would have still been paying the outrageous Redemption Grace Period fees that are being assessed?
Had there been user representatives on half of the boars, do you think that we would have tolerated the VeriSign price increase?
There was a reason why the White Paper called for a balanced board, because you cannot allow special interest communities to dominate an organizational agenda at the expense of the public interest.
At the moment we have a Nominating Committee that selects a half of the Board, yet the vast bulk of these nominating committee members hail from the special interest communities -- the end result: board appointments that continue to reflect special-interest community concerns while the needs of the public continue to get scant attention. You know in your hearts that this is neither right nor acceptable.
Accountability demands that we honor the principle of a balanced board. This is what ALAC members should be fighting for. It's time to stand up and defend the unrepresented, the user community that nowhere within ICANN has any representation.
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