On 4/10/07, Jacqueline A. Morris <jam@jacquelinemorris.com> wrote:

Hello Evan
The Vancouver meeting funding was approved by ICANN staff but was apparently
vetoed by the NA ALAC members at that time (from what I have been told and
read). When it was brought up again just after Lisbon that people still
wanted to have a meeting, ICANN staff said - let's see how we can facilitate
- Wendy voted no, Alan didn't say no, but didn't say yes, John is no longer
on the ALAC, ICANN said yes and I said yes. A different procedure seems to
exist now for approval of projects like this compared to February when
Vancouver funding was apparently vetoed by your regional representatives.
There's no uncertainties regarding travel subsidy anymore.

The reasons for the meeting and the timing are clear - it needs to be at a
reasonable time before June if the MoU is to be ready then. We are in April.
The policy issues need to be discussed at the same time for the same
reason. We want to finalise some feedback and positions, translate documents
etc in time for San Juan, so consultation has to happen in that timing as
well.

Between now and June is May. So May is self-evident. East Coast was
suggested from not wanting to have everyone travel too far. Suggestions were
made, and offers were made, and one was picked as the most reasonable
suggestion. As you should have seen from Robert's email, it can be Montreal,
it can be anywhere..

Meeting space availability was not the overriding reason - I really don't
see how that understanding could come about. There's meeting space available
in every city in the world...

-----Original Message-----
From: Evan Leibovitch [mailto:evan@telly.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 4:55 PM
To: jam@jacquelinemorris.com
Cc: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org
Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] NARALO Formation Meeting

Jacqueline A. Morris wrote:
> Also - I'm not an US native, so my understanding of the nuances of the
> language may be different. There was no "willful intent to impose control"
-
> at least how I think you mean that phrase. Of course I may have a
different
> understanding...
>
Hello Jaqueline,

What I meant by "imposing control" is simple (and I'm not a US native
either ;-) );

The ALSs expressed a preference to have a meeting in Vancouver, and that
meeting did not happen. I certainly heard no indication that ICANN would
support travel expenses for that meeting, so I know that we could not
attend.

Now, ICANN staff proposes a meeting in New York, and the ONLY reason
(that I can determine) offered for this particular choice of date and
location was that someone was making meeting space available at that
tine. This is, to me, one of the silliest, least important reasons to
have a meeting at a particular time or place.

The availability and readiness of participants is infinitely more
important than the availability of meeting space (which can be rented).
The setting of a specific time/place, before consulting any of the
people intended to be there, is what I consider to be a form of
crontrol. The suggestion that travel subsidy is available for New York,
when it appeared to have been unavailable for Vancouver, enforces a
belief that ICANN is pushing its own agenda and timing over that which
is preferred by the participants themselves.

If there is truly no intent to control, then ICANN must fully support
the meeting plans determined by the ALSs themselves, which includes
travel expense support where requested. I have seen admirable prudence
in the activities here so far, nobody is rushing to spend ICANN's travel
budget needlessly. So when we (the ALSs) say a meeting is needed, it is
incumbent on ICANN to support such plans if there is truly an intent to
support our activities and not control them. This means eliminating --
definitely -- the budget uncertainties regarding travel subsidy.

- Evan

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