[bc-gnso] remarks today on Accountability Working Group planning

[Steve DelBianco <sdelbianco@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just delivered this for the BC:

STEVE DelBIANCO WITH THE BUSINESS CONSTITUENCY. WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE 
TURNAROUND AND RECOGNITION OF COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PROCESS AND WE'RE READY TO GET 
TO WORK. AND THE KEY IS THE DRAFT OF THE CHARTER, WHICH WILL HAVE BOARD INPUT 
BUT IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CHARTER AND I THINK THAT'S 
APPROPRIATE.
THE KEY PART OF THE CHARTER FOR THIS ACCOUNTABILITY WORKING GROUP WILL BE 
FIGURING OUT THE TWO WORK STREAMS AND THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THEM.
SO LET ME JUST FOCUS MY QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

STAFF AND SECRETARY STRICKLING GAVE US SUGGESTIONS THAT ARE RELATIVELY SIMILAR, 
SUGGESTIONS THAT WE DO TWO WORK STREAMS, AND WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.
SECRETARY STRICKLING JUST SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE FIRST STREAM, 
ON ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED BY EXPIRATION OF THE CONTRACT. AND 
THEN HE WENT ON TO SAY IT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY, TO SAY, "SET YOUR FOCUS ON THE 
FACT THAT THE CONTRACT MIGHT NOT BE THERE ANYMORE." WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 
IANA CONTRACT.

AND I THINK ACTUALLY FADI THIS MORNING DESCRIBED IT IN A WAY THAT WAS CLOSER TO 
WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAD BEEN ASKING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS. HE DESCRIBED IT 
THIS WAY: HE SAID, "WE NEED ONE STREAM TO DEAL WITH ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS 
THAT MUST BE REINFORCED OR ADDED BEFORE THE TRANSITION OCCURS." SO THINGS THAT 
HAVE TO BE DONE BEFORE THE IANA TRANSITION, BEFORE THE CONTRACT IS LET GO.
THE SECOND THING FADI SAID WAS, "AND THE OTHER STREAM WOULD LOOK AT THE BROADER 
ICANN ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE MAY NOT NEED TO DO, 
NECESSARILY TAKEN CARE OF, BEFORE THE TRANSITION OCCURS." SO IT'S A BEFORE AND 
AN AFTER TRANSITION.

I THINK BOTH FADI AND SECRETARY STRICKLING ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THE IANA 
CONTRACT EXPIRATION MEANS IS THE END OF CONTRACT LEVERAGE. WHY DOES THAT 
MATTER? WHY DO YOU NEED LEVERAGE?
IT'S SIMPLY THIS: WE MAY NEED SOME LEVERAGE -- WE IN THE COMMUNITY -- TO 
ENCOURAGE THE BOARD TO ACCEPT SOME VERY TOUGH NEW ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS 
THAT WOULD HOLD THE BOARD AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE VIEW THAT -- I THINK WE VIEW THAT CONSISTENTLY --  WHAT THE TWO STREAMS 
ARE, THINGS WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO BEFORE THE IANA TRANSITION, BECAUSE THEY'RE 
THINGS FOR WHICH WE NEED THE IANA CONTRACT AS LEVERAGE AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE 
IN THAT SECOND STREAM THAT CAN OCCUR AFTER THE TRANSITION.
THE BC HAD PUT FORTH SIX ELEMENTS THAT WE THINK COULD FORM THAT, AND I REALIZE 
THAT COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, WE'RE ALL GOING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY OUGHT TO 
BE.  BUT I DO THINK IT COULD BE A HANDFUL OF ACCOUNT- -- A HANDFUL OF 
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS THAT NEED TO BE THERE BEFORE WE EXPIRE THE IANA 
CONTRACT.
IS THAT CLOSE TO YOUR THINKING?

>>LARRY STRICKLING: WELL, FIRST OFF, I HOPE YOU WEREN'T SUGGESTING THAT THERE 
>>WAS ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN MY TWO FORMULATIONS.
OKAY. GOOD. BECAUSE I INTENDED TO JUST SAY IT CONSISTENTLY.
SO I THINK I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID, BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS LEFT UNSAID IN 
YOUR QUESTION.
[LAUGHTER ]
>>LARRY STRICKLING: SO I -- SO FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE NOTED IN PRIOR PUBLIC 
>>STATEMENTS THAT THE ABSENCE OF A BOARD RECALL MECHANISM FOR THE COMMUNITY, 
>>THAT WOULD SEEM TO ME TO BE THE KIND OF QUESTION THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE 
>>WITHIN THE MORE LIMITED INITIAL SCOPE OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY --
NOW, THAT'S A BIG ISSUE. IT'S NOT A TINY ISSUE WHATSOEVER. BUT IT DOES SEEM TO 
ME THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF ISSUES PEOPLE WILL HAVE CONCERN ABOUT WHEN THEY'RE 
THINKING ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF -- WHAT PREVENTS THIS ORGANIZATION FROM 
SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL WHEN THE U.S. CONTRACT ISN'T THERE ANY LONGER.
NOBODY EXPECTS IT TO HAPPEN, BUT I THINK ALL OF US, TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO THIS 
TRANSITION, NEED TO THINK THROUGH THOSE POSSIBILITIES AND UNDERSTAND WHAT 
MECHANISMS EXIST TODAY OR NEED TO BE PUT INTO PLACE TO PREVENT BAD THINGS LIKE 
THAT FROM HAPPENING.
>>STEVE DelBIANCO: AND I'M JUST MENTIONING THAT (INDISCERNIBLE) THE BOARD AND 
>>THAT IS, IN FACT, ONE OF THE SIX THINGS THE BC WAS RECOMMENDING. THANK YOU 
>>VERY MUCH.