My premises on how to fix ALAC stem primarily from the "who the hell are you to challenge us?" challenge that would always arise when ALAC proposed policies or priorities that displease the domain industry. I recall being in closed-door meetings (I recall Alan and Olivier in there too) where that exact question was raised. So long as ALAC continues to exist in its political, self-selected form that challenge will always have validity. So long as what ALAC does aligns with ICANN's monied interests, all is well. But any time it dares stray from that path it will be successfully countered by attacking ALAC's credibility to speak on behalf of end users.

This credibility challenge can only be addressed by a radical rethink of ALAC, and changes that go far beyond those of the third-party reviews held to date. These changes keep in mind that the general public attitudes towards ICANN are close to those regarding other kinds of public infrastructure. In other words, most people just don't care until something breaks.

(Funny how other forms of public infrastructure such as sewage, electricity generation, air-travel coordination and roads don't see any calls to be improved through multi-stakeholder governance.)

I have detailed and specific ideas on how to get there from here, but that goes beyond this thread. Suffice it to say that they focus heavily on public education and public polling, rather than politics and outreach, as the means to establish authority.

We've had our share of such advocates. Beau, Garth and Marc come to mind quickly. All were immensely frustrated by ALAC's combination of lack of authority and self-importance, and I am aware that other consumer organizations were informed by their experiences. Marc Rotenberg in particular lasted only a few months of his ALAC term because he quickly saw it as an utter waste of time. I had the opportunity to speak to him at length and was quite enlightened; his views on ALAC and ICANN inspire my present approach. And I maintain contact with Beau and Garth, who I consider friends, to this day.

- Evan