Furthermore, we are astounded that the ALAC was explicitly exempted from direct participation in the new GNSO formulation, despite the document's preamble which states that "ALAC is critical to ICANN's external perception". After many years of slow and painful development, the ALAC has finally taken first baby steps towards the fulfilment of its mandate to offer a focus and catalyst for At-Large communications and policy development. To explicitly exclude it from a role in At-Large advocacy within the GNSO at this time is beyond reason.
I sent message to the overall At-Large list in response to a message that Evan sent including the sentence "The irony of a document backed by ALAC that explicitly recommends its own disenfranchisement is, to me, astounding." It similarly applies to "To explicitly exclude it from a role in At-Large advocacy within the GNSO at this time is beyond reason." here. The substance was: The terms "At-Large" and "ALAC" are typically used interchangeably by much of ICANN. The original document from the Business Constituency did in fact reference "ALAC". I am afraid that I am the devil that caused it to change to "At-Large". My reasoning was that the ALAC is a properly constituted Board Advisory Committee within ICANN. Perhaps the lawyers and organization-gurus among us would have no problem with an Advisory body within ICANN being represented on a Supporting Organization Council. But I did. I thought that this simply confused the relationships between the various bodies. So I suggested that references to ALAC be changed to At-Large. Now since At-Large can formally speak and act solely through the RALOs and the ALAC, Presumably these bodies or their designates will play a significant role in selecting who is representing At-Large as members of an "At-Large Constituency" within the User stakeholder group (and thus affecting who sits on the GNSO council for that stakeholder group. My intention was not to disenfranchise ALAC or At-Large, but rather to reserve for them the ability to influence the GNSO through representatives, but at the same time to NOT muddy the already complex ICANN organization chart. Alan