ICANN pitches the internet's future

**************************************************************
Educational CyberPlayGround Community 
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/

NetHappenings Mailing List ©1993
-- Subscribe - Unsubscribe - Set Preferences
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/NetHappenings.html

Advertise on Nethappenings the oldest K12 Mailing List 
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/Subguidelines.html

All Mailing Lists
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/index.html
**************************************************************



History of ICANN
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Internet/DOMAIN%20NAME/icann.html>

Original URL:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/20/icann_pitches_internet_future/

ICANN pitches the internet's future
By Kieren McCarthy (kieren at kmccarthy.eclipse.co.uk)
Published Saturday 20th November 2004 22:46 GMT

ICANN - the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - which
oversees the Internet in all its manificent lunacy, has just published a
Strategic Plan
(http://www.icann.org/strategic-plan/strategic-plan-16nov04.pdf), in which
it has outlined what its direction and goals are for the next three years.

In reality though, the strategic plan is a sales pitch to the world. And it
should be read by anyone who wants to know the kind of people who will be
running the internet for some time to come.

As a sales pitch, it is charming, convincing and considered. And as a sales
pitch it is also simplified, one-sided and vague. Its job is to persuade you
that ICANN is the best choice in what could become the greatest auction in
history. The prize is control of the internet.

But do we rush out and put in an order for ICANN now? Or look at the other
options, first?

One alternative, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), is a
well-established giant looking to steal the market. The ITU has pretty much
run all international communications networks since the invention of the
telegraph. The internet caught it on the hop and it has been trying to fight
its way back into the market ever since.

A second option may arrive following a lengthy review of internet governance
by the United Nations which will report in November 2005. This review may
decide to put its weight behind ICANN, the ITU or propose something entirely
different. We don't know yet.

But we do know the future of the internet will be decided on 30 September
2006 and that there can only be one winner. On that date, the memorandum of
understanding between ICANN and the US government will end; the world's only
superpower will then presented the internet as gift to the planet, a symbol
of more gentle and co-operative times.

ICANN in its Plan, makes no pretence about the fact that it expects to be
the body left in charge once the US government takes its hands of the
tiller. In a bold box on the first page of the Preface, the Plan's plan is
clearly stated: "To enable ICANN and its structures to serve a global
Internet community in fulfilling ICANN's Mission, and to complete the
initiating MoU process, by establishing an effective, international,
inclusive, stand-alone ICANN."

But it is fighting a battle against the previous six years of the
organisation, which saw a self-selected elite of American technologists
attempt to protect their vision of their baby, but instead managed to
alienate the rest of the world. It was only in March 2003, when someone from
outside that elite - Australian diplomat Dr Paul Twomey - was made CEO of
ICANN that it began at last to operate with the professionalism that was so
sorely needed.

It is no coincidence then that the first page of the Plan declares: "This
Strategic Plan does not revisit the reform process but focuses on defining
strategic priorities for administrative roles only..." In other words,
forget about the past and judge us only on what we offer you now.

And what a lot it does offer. It is safe to say that the new ICANN has
listened to all the main complaints about it and struck intelligent
compromises right across the line.

ICANN never listened to complaints. We'll have not one but two new
complaints procedures, a new management structure and more staff to deal
with queries.

ICANN never told us what was going on. We'll have new, extensive reports
covering what we do made publicly available.

ICANN tried to force us to do what it wanted. We'll change the old contracts
and open up the decision-making process.

ICANN tried to take over every aspect of the internet. We'll only act in an
organising and supervising role and take all our policies from you.

ICANN is completely US-centric. We'll open up new offices across the globe
and make all our materials available in different languages.

ICANN is too secretive. We'll change our website, post more information
about what we're doing, actively seek to expand and educate people from
across the globe about what the internet and ICANN are and do.

ICANN has made odd decisions behind closed doors. We will produce clear
guidelines about how we make decisions and stick with them.

The list goes on and on. For every criticism made of the old regime, the new
crew has taken it on board and sought compromise. There is even a new
slogan, which like all the best slogans says everything and nothing at the
same time: "Coordination, Colloboration, Cooperation."

It's only when you get to the list of "ICANN's core values" and realise that
there aren't 10 but 11 - because, like some Spinal Tap flashback, 10 isn't
good enough for ICANN, it needs one more - that the strange feeling you get
when political party manifestos appear on your doormat starts rising up your
spine.

New ICANN, Old ICANN

Is New ICANN the same as Old ICANN but with a shinier coating? Yes and No.

New ICANN is what Old ICANN was supposed to become before stubbornness and
egotism got the better of it. All the fury directed at ICANN from its
creation in 1998, which increased year by year, came as a result of people's
inability to understand why the organisation wasn't changing with the times,
and in particular why logical alterations were dismissed with high-handed
disdain.

What Twomey and the new staff that he has brought in to run the organisation
are offering is what should have been available all along. The internet is
of too much importance and size to be run by individuals - it has to be run
by an organisation, a system, in which the individuals are administrators
rather than creators.

There is a grand difference between this form of ICANN and the behemoth of
administration that is the ITU, however. Despite a massively enlarged role
taken by governments through ICANN's power GAC (Governmental Advisory
Committee) body, the opinions and beliefs of those that built the Internet -
the technologists, computer scientists and geeks - are built into the ICANN
system. With the ITU, governments are all-powerful.

As such, given the options, ICANN as sold and packaged in this Strategic
Plan, is the best choice for the internet as a whole. Our conclusion, and
ICANN's future, rests on the organisation delivering some of the promised
changes before the 2006 deadline. Chief among them must be the long-promised
Ombudsman, the touted Independent Review Panel, and a long overdue
transparency and openness in ICANN's adminstration.

You can download ICANN's Strategic Plan at
http://www.icann.org/strategic-plan/strategic-plan-16nov04.pdf, and you can
read public comments on it here
(http://forum.icann.org/lists/strategic-plan-comments/).


<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>
EDUCATIONAL CYBERPLAYGROUND 
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com

Net Happenings, K12 Newsletters, Network Newsletters
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Community/index.html

FREE EDUCATION VENDOR DIRECTORY LISTING
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Directory/default.asp

HOT LIST OF SCHOOLS ONLINE
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Schools/default.asp

Educational CyberPlayGround Services
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/PS/Home_Products.html
<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>~~~~~<>

Other related posts: