[discuss] Roadmap for globalizing IANA

Tue Mar 4 03:21:42 UTC 2014

Milton,

Incidentally, let me recall what happened in 2005 on .XXX.

Bush administration halt .XXX during ICANN process by sending a strongly
worded letter opposing to .XXX[1] and they widely publicise the fact online
and offline through the press. Several conservative groups like IFFOR and
CWA claims credits as well for successfully lobbied the government to act
against .XXX so it is obvious they are after the brownie points.

I remember Sharil, then Chair of GAC told me they would have send a similar
letter to ICANN even if USG did not do so. Part of the GAC position comes
from pressure from the USG as well as several other conservative GAC
members.

The situation at that time is ICANN in 2005 is also about the time that USG
is suppose to relinquish its control over ICANN. So the letter
from Gallagher (then the Assistant Secretary to DoC and NITA) was a vile
threat that if ICANN is to proceed with .XXX as voted on 1st Aug 2005, then
USG may be force to halt .XXX as it is entering in the root.  I believe I
doc it on my blog back then on my blog[2] and you also wrote about it on
CircleID[3]

The threat was never put to a test since ICANN board reversed its decision
in Mar 2007. So technically USG did not abuse its power as the root zone
oversight in this case or in any other case AFAIK.

[1]
http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/gallagher-to-cerf-15aug05-en.pdf

[2] http://james.seng.sg/2005/08/18/fiasco-over-xxx/

[3]
http://www.circleid.com/posts/xxx_puzzle_pieces_start_to_come_together_and_the_picture_is_ugly

-James Seng

On Mon, Mar 3, 2014 at 9:52 PM, Milton L Mueller <mueller at syr.edu> wrote:

>  Dear all:
>
> Today IGP released an innovative proposal to resolve the 15-year
> controversy over the United States government’s special relationship to the
> Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
> http://www.internetgovernance.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/ICANNreformglobalizingIANAfinal.pdf
>
>
>
> The proposal, which involves removing root zone management functions from
> ICANN and creating an independent and neutral private sector consortium to
> take them over, will be presented at the Singapore ICANN meeting March 21,
> and has also been submitted to the “NETMundial” Global Multistakeholder
> Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance in *São *Paulo, Brazil,
> April 23 and 24.
>
>
>
> We propose four basic principles to guide the reform of the IANA
> functions: 1. Keep the IANA function clerical; separate it from policy; 2.
> Don’t internationalize political oversight: end it; 3. Align incentives to
> ensure the accuracy and security of root zone maintenance; 4. De-link
> globalization of the IANA function from broader ICANN policy process
> reforms. Even if there are quibbles about the details of the proposal, we
> look forward to gaining agreement on those principles, and are willing to
> entertain any proposals that embody them.
>
>
>
>
>
> Milton Mueller
>
> Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies
>
> http://faculty.ischool.syr.edu/mueller/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> discuss mailing list
> discuss at 1net.org
> http://1net-mail.1net.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
>

-- 
-James Seng
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