RE: [ga-roots] Re: ICANN Policy -- revised version

["David Hernand" <david@new.net>]

Mr. Lynn:

With all due respect, your unilateral efforts to divine official ICANN
policy from charter documents and RFCs is no different than efforts of
religious zealots to declare their one true interpretation of biblical
texts.  We will offer our own views on the substance of your recent "draft"
policy statement (and already have offered an alternative view in our policy
paper released prior to the Stockholm meeting -- available at www.new.net),
but we strongly disagree with your approach to setting ICANN policy without
input from the Internet community and debate by ICANN constituencies, GA,
Names Council and Board of Directors.  In essence, it appears that the ICANN
Staff is trying to ram through its own view of the role of alternative roots
and naming systems, while simultaneously attempting to stifle debate on
these issues by proclaiming that any challenge to the Staff's
self-proclaimed policy must follow the same bottoms-up consensus approach
that the Staff is unwilling to utilize.

It is curious that the policy statement at issue was originally posted to
the ICANN website as a "draft" paper intended to spur discussion, and then
quickly evolved (over the course of one week) into a formal articulation of
existing ICANN policy.  We question the motives and timing of this effort by
the ICANN Staff to create a trumped-up official policy that the Staff can
then use to publicly discredit and discourage use of competing naming
systems.  While we support ICANN's efforts to act as a global
technical-standards settings body, we think that the Staff's recent efforts
will only further alienate ICANN from those working to improve the current
system and Internet users generally.

David Hernand
CEO
New.net


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ga-roots@dnso.org [mailto:owner-ga-roots@dnso.org]On Behalf
Of M. Stuart Lynn
Sent: Friday, June 15, 2001 12:42 PM
To: Bret Fausett; Milton Mueller; webmaster@babybows.com;
ga-roots@dnso.org
Subject: Re: [ga-roots] Re: ICANN Policy -- revised version


I understand and welcome your views, Brett, But I could not disagree more.

ICANN has many policies that are embodied in our charter documents
that have not been separately and explicitly codified in a single
policy document. For example, we have a policy derived from those
documents that commit us to further the stability of the Internet.
There has been no bottom-up process to codify that - except as was
embodied in the founding of ICANN and in the finalization of those
documents.

When there are important issues on the table, I will continue to
summarize existing policies that may be embodied in those documents
and elsewhere (including those that have been explicitly stated) and
articulate them for the community. Particularly - as in this case -
when I receive enquiries as to what our policy on a given topic may
be. That is part of my job. This is no different than our restatement
of IANA policies in ICP-1.

Articulating existing policies is very different from creating new
policy. That requires consensus-based approaches. And I do not think
any of us disagree on that.

I think we all understand our difference of views on this subject,
and I doubt we will persuade each other. So it may be best to move
on. But I will look forward to your specific comments.

With regards
Stuart

At 9:45 AM -0700 6/15/01, Bret Fausett wrote:
>The merits of the relative positions aside, I am concerned about a practice
>of drafting papers outside ICANN's rigorous bottom-up, policy development
>processes, calling it an attempt to codify existing policy, and then
>challenging anyone to go through the rigorous bottom-up, policy development
>process to change it.
>
>Again, the merits of the relative positions aside, I'm sure you can
>appreciate the *potential* for abuse in that kind of process. At this
point,
>two and half years into the life of ICANN, if a clear policy has not
already
>been written somewhere (and I'm referring to more than a few references to
>"authoritative roots" in ICANN's foundational documents), I'm not sure it
>ought to be created now in the name of "existing policy." Consensus
>policy-making is much harder work than that.
>
>I'll have more on the merits of the paper separately, but the process
issues
>here are of concern.
>
>      -- Bret
>
>
>On 6/15/01 9:17 AM, "M. Stuart Lynn" <lynn@icann.org> wrote:
>
>>  It seems, Milton, that academe has arrived at a new standard since I
>>  left two years ago. Anyone who agrees with you is "honest" and anyone
>>  who disagrees is not ;-). Well, well!
>>
>>  The basis for the statement that ICANN's policy is to support a
>>  single authoritative root is extensively articulated in my document
>>  and the references clearly cited. The White Paper, the Memorandum of
>>  Understanding, and the Articles of Incorporation give clear
>  > indication of ICANN's Policy. They are ICANN's charter documents. I
>  > suggest you read them again. They are not very hard to understand and
>  > their statements with regard to an authoritative single root and to
>>  competing roots are quite clear. My statement on ICANN Policy is not
>>  unilateral -- it is well-grounded in the community processes that led
>>  to the White Paper and to the formation of ICANN.
>>
>>  You may disagree. That's fine. It would make for a dull ICANN if
>>  everyone agreed on everything.
>>
>>  And I would encourage you to follow the appropriate processes if you
>  > would like to see the current policy changed.

--

__________________
Stuart Lynn
President and CEO
ICANN
4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Tel: 310-823-9358
Fax: 310-823-8649
Email: lynn@icann.org
--
This message was passed to you via the ga-roots@dnso.org list.
Send mail to majordomo@dnso.org to unsubscribe
("unsubscribe ga-roots" in the body of the message).
Archives at http://www.dnso.org/archives.html


--
This message was passed to you via the ga-roots@dnso.org list.
Send mail to majordomo@dnso.org to unsubscribe
("unsubscribe ga-roots" in the body of the message).
Archives at http://www.dnso.org/archives.html