[alac] FW: ALAC Comments to NTIA Consultation on Transition of DNS Management

[Annette Muehlberg <Annette.Muehlberg@xxxxxx>]

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Annette Muehlberg 
> Gesendet: 06.07.06 18:23:36
> An: DNSTransition@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> Betreff: [alac-admin] ALAC Comments to NTIA Consultation on Transition of DNS 
> Management

> 6 July 2006
> 
> 
> Fiona Alexander
> Office of International Affairs
> National Telecommunications and Information Administration
> 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
> Room 4701
> Washington, DC 20230
> 
> Dear Ms. Alexander,
> 
> The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of the Internet Corporation for 
> Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), mandated by ICANN bylaws to convey the 
> interests of global individual users, respectfully submits the following 
> comments regarding the transition of the technical coordination and 
> management of the Internet domain name and addressing system (Internet DNS).
> 
> ALAC is a global entity comprised of fifteen appointed members, three from 
> each of five geographic regions: Africa, Asia/Pacific/Australia, Europe, 
> Latin America/Caribbean Islands and North America. In addition, there are 
> more than 40 organizations already accredited as "At-Large Structures (ALS)," 
> which will eventually form Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) that will 
> function as a bottom-up mechanism to support and engage in the ICANN policy 
> process. As such, ALAC would like to emphasize the critical importance of 
> openness, inclusion, transparency, and equal opportunity for all stakeholders 
> of the world to share in the affairs of the global Internet identifier 
> systems that ICANN is tasked to coordinate.
> 
> As the MoU between the US Government and ICANN expires in September this 
> year, ALAC wishes to underline the unique opportunity the occasion offers to 
> realize the original goals that led to the formation of ICANN. These include, 
> inter alia, acknowledgement of the international nature of ICANN, support of 
> the multi-stakeholder bottom-up approach to the management of ICANN, and the 
> provision of viable and stable channels for the involvement of individual 
> Internet users in the ICANN policy formation process. Measures must be 
> implemented to ensure non-discriminatory availability of ICANN/IANA services 
> as well as the opportunity for the involvement of global individual users in 
> the ICANN process.
> 
> In its role as the voice of the individual Internet users, ALAC firmly 
> believes that the current multi-stakeholder framework at ICANN should be 
> further strengthened to allow more proactive involvement of end-users. The 
> process to full participation of individual users through the ALAC/RALO 
> (Regional At-Large Organization) mechanism is being undertaken at this 
> moment. There is, however, a lack of incentives for the participants, 
> especially a lack of direct involvement at the decision-making levels of 
> ICANN. Therefore, we think that ICANN should find ways to implement adequate 
> representation of individual users at the decision-making levels of ICANN so 
> that a real multi-stakeholder framework is achieved.
> 
> In addition, we believe that no government should have a pre-eminent role in 
> DNS management and exercise power over database changes and root-server data. 
> We suggest that an institutional form should be found so that ICANN does not 
> lie under the authority of any single national legislation.
> 
> We also strongly advocate transparency and openness in the process of making 
> any structural change in the ICANN framework for the coming transition.
> 
> 
> Respectfully submitted,
> 
> Annette Muehlberg
> Chair
> At-Large Advisory Committee
> Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
>  
>  
> 

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