[discuss] Time to be more precise about Internet Governance

Thu Jan 2 23:25:19 UTC 2014

Dear Jorge,

On 30/12/2013 06:13, Jorge Amodio wrote:
> About representation, again taking ICANN as an example, and this is
> something I've been following for many years since the creation of
> ALAC, RALOs and ALSs, the mechanisms used to certify representation
> are so lax that you can get together with a bunch of friends or
> colleges, incorporate a non-profit entity, generate some activity,
> become an ALS, join a RALO, play some politics, get elected among
> friends that fix the election process in the background, and voila you
> are a new member of the club. And here is where the musical chairs
> game and multiple hats dance starts. The issue becomes to "belong"
> into the ecosystem, today I'm in ALAC, tomorrow I'm on NCSG, then
> GNSO, while not the GAC, next time I'll be chair of something and
> perhaps get on the BoD, and given that I "belong" now I am an expert
> !! so I can teach about "Internet Governance" 

Permit me to disagree with your characterisation of the ALAC and
At-Large Community. The people that serve on the ALAC and in various
committees work hard to experiment with the bottom-up multi-stakeholder
model which is not an easy ride every day. This has more in common with
pioneering masochism than with the "club" which you describe. Why don't
you get actively involved to sample the pain, headaches and occasional
satisfaction?

Kind regards,

Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
ALAC Chair