Surveys and R&D into users' needs and opinions about domain names and the DNS, that you suggest, would indeed be very useful for the ALAC to base its policy advice upon, but I don't understand how this would facilitated by "eliminating" the ALS´es. Quite the contrary, ALS'es could be used by RALO's as instruments of such grassroot level survey work.

As far as the policy role of ALS'es is concerned, at least some RALO's are making the effort - and getting results - in reaching experts in various policy areas within ALS'es and benefiting from their input into the process of drafting advice and comment.

Best,

Yrjö

From: At-Large <at-large-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org> on behalf of Evan Leibovitch <evanleibovitch@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2018 10:27 AM
To: Alan Greenberg
Cc: ICANN At-Large list
Subject: Re: [At-Large] Say Whut!

On Tue, Dec 11, 2018, 9:07 AM Alan Greenberg <alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca wrote:

Our current plan going forward is to use those ALSes as a conduit to their members.

That's not the current plan, that's been the always plan since the ALS concept was invented. What has changed now?

If it works, great. If it oesn't then it may well be the time to focus on phasing ALSes out. But I am optimistic.

It's now been a dozen years or so. How much longer will it take to prove or disprove?

Bottom line is that except in a few relatively rare cases, work is done by people - wee need to find those people willing and interested to work, regardless of whether they are unaffiliated or hear about us through their ALS.

There are yet other ways of attracting them.

- Evan