Re: "The whole ALAC structure is misconceived" from Richard Henderson

["ALAC" <alac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you for your comments.

Regarding your statement that you do not recognize the ALAC’s authority to
organize on your behalf and that you believe an Internet users organization
should be created “outside ICANN” to “operate critically and independently.”
:

The purpose of the ALAC’s work is to propose a framework for individual user
participation using existing and newly-formed organizations.  It is our
expectation that the At-Large infrastructure envisioned by this proposal
will operate “critically and independently.”  Although Internet user
organizations can have constructive roles both “inside and outside ICANN,”
we believe that by developing an At-Large infrastructure to involve and
represent *inside* ICANN a broad set of individual user interests, we are
helping to ensure that ICANN's policies reflect the interests of a full
range of stakeholders. Bringing individual user interests to bear as DNS
policies are being developed and decided upon requires the type of informed
participation and representation that the ALAC is working towards. In short,
consider the ALAC a channel *into* ICANN rather than just a part of ICANN.
It will become such a channel only if those *outside* take advantage of this
mechanism. They are free to ignore it, but then they risk not being heard.

We look forward to hearing from you again.

The Interim At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)