[discuss] Roadmap for globalizing IANA

Tue Mar 11 16:21:19 UTC 2014

Hi Milton,
I appreciate the revert. some observations:-
First, you are right, there is no formal USG-ICANN contract, but I
used the phrase to loosely reference understanding between the two
parties in relation to global policy development - something you
yourself acknowledge in pg 2(1) of the proposal.

While your generalization about people have trouble separating the
policy making, (ICANN) from the technical functions, (IANA) of the DNS
maybe right, I think the real issue, as I see it is the appreciation
of how intrinsically linked the two are - especially in as far as they
relate to IG. Just the technical operations of the root zone cannot be
referred to as IG IMHO. This is why, I view your proposal as an
attempt to resolve a subset of the problem and my response, and
proposal, an attempt to look at the bigger picture; bigger picture
being (Structure of the present System - pg 2) in its entirety.

In light of the above I withdraw my suggestion to modify, but I would
like to pause a question that I believe to be salient:

Working with the "end in mind" habit, do you honestly feel that moving
the technical IANA function from ICANN will solve the problem? I think
not entirely:  it may take care of some politics by mooting NTIA's
"Administrator" function and curing the perception that IANA being
housed within ICANN compromises its integrity, but if ICANN maintains
its relationship with the USG, this could still be construed as
unilateral control of the root zone, and by extension the internet, by
controlling the policy function :-).

This will specifically be very disconcerting for many because the
all-powerful; representative lame duck (DNSA) will just look
on....(recall their mandate is technical root zone ops).

Based on my current understanding of the situation, I conditionally
support this proposal; condition is that this or another attempts to
resolve the remainder of the problem.

Regards,
-- 
Douglas Onyango, PRINCE 2, ITILv3
UG: +256 772 712 139 | NG: +234 813 604 7638