Dear ATRT2 colleagues!
I found this interesting news from Germany's parliamentary commissions final report on the Internet and the Digital Society, after more than two years of discussions. The sub-report on "International and Internet Governance" (in which Wolfgang Kleinwäcther represented local civil society and I attach herunder) makes a very interesting reading indeed on what Governments (or Parliaments) may think about ICANN governance. One of its recommendations on page 22 says (more or less):
Currently, the structures of the Internet in the allocation of IP address blocks are under control of highly centralized organizations ICANN and IANA, and beyond that, also regulation of the top-level domains. In this way (internet) central functions are under direct control of the U.S. government. The Study Commission is in favor of a broader regulatory structure of ICANN and IANA. She wants a stronger commitment of the Federal (German) Government in this matter and a more active support of the activities of the European Union.
(Original: Derzeit sind die Strukturen des Internets im Bereich der
Vergabe von IP-Adressblöcken stark auf die Organisatio-
nen ICANN und IANA zentralisiert und darüber hinaus
auch die Regulierung der Top-Level-Domains. Damit un-
terstehen zentrale Funktionen dem direkten Durchgriff
der US-Regierung. Die Enquete-Kommission spricht sich
für eine breitere Aufsichtsstruktur von ICANN und IANA
aus. Sie wünscht sich ein stärkeres Engagement der Bun-
desregierung in dieser Sache und eine aktivere Unterstüt-
zung der Aktivitäten der Europäischen Union.)
I attach the full sub-report but I'm still looking for a background paper often cited in the report produced by the Parliaments staff, which seems to have a great weight on the report and puts ICANN head to head against ITU.