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Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt To Register
2000-08-01 13:20:34
I just cut and pasted some of the recent message on this subject below and
emailed it to two computer industry columnists that I know in an attempt to
initiate a more widespread public discussion on this subject.
If any of you know any columnists or media people who might be interested in
this subject (pro or con), would you be kind enough to forward it on to them.
This is something that needs a public debate... one that involves a faw wider
range of people.
Thanks
Curtis Sahakian
847/676-2774
------------------
-Bob,
How are you doing. Here is some Grist for your column.
It is an exchange of emails between me and Esther Dyson regarding what her
goals should or should not be regarding her leadership at ICANN. I have also
added some emails sent by people cc'ed in on the emails. The most important
email in my opinion is the last one.
Please take a look at it and consider doing an article on the subject.
Particularly my proposal for a new ICANN direction. If I am out of line, I
would appreciate it if you would set me straight. If I'm the one who isn't
getting it please rap me on the head.
I'm going to copy this to John Dvorak and see if he has any observations on
this subject. It might even be that you and John Dvorak might even be able to
convince her to alter course. I'm sort of hoping you might.
In the interest of fairness, I'm also going to copy this to Pam Brewster at
Alexander Ogilvy Public Relations who might have a quite a different spin to
put on this from Esther's perspective... or who on the other hand might help
convince Esther that I may be on to something.
Give me a call when you have a chance
Thanks
Curtis Sahakian
847/676-2774
(Bob remember the white paper on Business Applications of Propaganda, it
included a section on how human beings are hard wired to centralize control
when losing control over systems which they don't have the skill to control...
causing things to spiral further out of control. Why don't you analyze this
situation to see if that may be happening here).
July 28, 2000 10:47 AM
Subject: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt To Register
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 10:47 AM
Esther,
My understanding is that ICANN, closes registeration for voter
membership in ICANN after JULY 31.
I have tried twice to register, Your server says: "We are
sorry. The database is currently overloaded.
Please try again when the system is less busy."
ICANN is denying me the right to vote. What possible excuse can
it have?
This is not right. It reminds me of voter registration problems
blacks used to have in the South until the U.S. goverment sent
troops and federal marshals there.
You should either get the ICANN staff behaving properly or
accept personal responsibility for their actions and resign. As
best I can tell from quotes in the press, you seem to be doing
neither.
Why is that?
Curtis Sahakian
847/676-2774
July 28, 2000 12:31 PM
----------
From: Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>
To: Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>
Cc: icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt ToRegister
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 12:31 PM
Curtis -
I am ready to resign when appropriate, but in this case it is not.
You ask what "excuse" we have. We have a reason: The site is overloaded; we
are getting a much bigger response than we expected. The ICANN staff is
doing what it can to handle the unexpected damand. We have tuned the system
to work much better than it did, but it is still overwhelmed....
Please think hard before comparing this to the south, where marshals
*selectively* turned away blacks. We are not turning away particular groups
of people; our system is simply rejecting attempts randomly. This is more
like a traffic jam with too-small roads, not any kind of selection process
or discrimination.
Sincerely,
Esther Dyson
Chairman
July 28, 2000 12:30 PM
----------
From: Mikki Barry <ooblick(_at_)netpolicy(_dot_)com>
To: edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com
Cc: Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>;
icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: [IFWP] Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt To
Register
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 12:30 PM
Esther -
Given the overload with the server and the other technical issues,
wouldn't it be prudent to extend the deadline for voter registration
to give another chance to those who have been unable to access it?
July 28, 2000 1:19 PM
----------
From: Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>
To: Mikki Barry <ooblick(_at_)netpolicy(_dot_)com>
Cc: Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>;
icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: [IFWP] Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members WhoAttempt To
Register
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 1:19 PM
Believe me, we have considered this, and many other options as well! The
level of interest has simply taken us by surprise. The problem is that a
delay would then be "unfair" to those who tried and didn't know about the
extended deadline, and so forth and so on. Meanwhile, that would mean
delaying the rest of the process, because we also need time for people to
get their PINs, and then for them to support independent candidates for the
board. So in the end we decided to keep the schedule as is..... The
deadline, like most deadlines, is arbitrary anyway, and it makes more sense
to keep it as is because changing it would cause other disruptions.
Esther
At 12:30 PM 7/28/00 -0400, Mikki Barry wrote:
Esther -
Given the overload with the server and the other technical issues,
wouldn't it be prudent to extend the deadline for voter registration
to give another chance to those who have been unable to access it?
July 28, 2000 9:43 PM
----------
From: vinton g. cerf <vcerf(_at_)MCI(_dot_)NET>
To: Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>; Curtis E. Sahakian
<cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>
Cc: icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: [icann-board] Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who
AttemptTo Register
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 9:43 PM
Curtis,
I wanted to add a little bit of data since, from the perspective of someone
who is trying to register (I've been where you are), it isn't obvious. There
have been something like 145,000 registrations on a system designed originally
for a total of about 10,000. The staff has worked miracles, believe it or
not,
to increase the ability of the system to respond - but we have limited budget
and limited time - to say nothing of risking the possibility of eroding the
integrity of the accumulated database with any significant changes to the
current system. We HAVE been able to increase total intake, but the demand
has more than matched every increase in capacity.
No one knew, a priori, what the demand for voter registration would be, but
the random rate control is not selective in any fashion. Also keep in mind
that we also have to print and mail PIN numbers in time for them to arrive
so they can be used to confirm registration and there is a time limit after
which it is too risky to mail PINs and still meet the voting deadlines.
These problems motivated our plan for a full review of the process after his
first round of elections. Plainly scaling must be addressed among other
things.
Please believe me, there is no deliberate attempt to color any outcome - only
to try to keep the system functioning at some level of responsiveness.
Vint Cerf
=================================================================
I moved to a new MCI WorldCom facility on Nov 11, 1999
MCI WorldCom
22001 Loudoun County Parkway
Building F2, Room 4115, ATTN: Vint Cerf
Ashburn, VA 20147
Telephone (703) 886-1690
FAX (703) 886-0047
"INTERNET IS FOR EVERYONE!"
INET 2001: Internet Global Summit
5-8 June 2001
Sweden International Fairs
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.isoc.org/inet2001
July 28, 2000 11:12 PM
Subject: Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt To Register
Date: Friday, July 28, 2000 11:12 PM
Dear Esther,
Thank you for your response.
You should take another look at your comment that "The problem
is that a delay would then be "unfair" to those who tried and
didn't know about the extended deadline, and so forth and so
on."
To an outsider it sounds more like an insider rationalization
for disenfranchisement of outsiders... that it would be unfair
to this disenfranchised class to do anything other than to
disenfranchise them (other than for a lucky few).
The good white folk of the 50s had many sincere excuses for the
barriers they erected to disenfranchise black voters. Many of
these excuses were no less logical than the above. In the end
it really didn't matter. All the excuses seemed to end up
supporting and justifying the same results... the erection of
barriers to the fair representation of "undeserving" elements of
society. Why? These people were expected to make improper use
of their votes.
Whether or not that is happening here, if you are the one being
disenfranchised, it sure feels like it is.
In fact both then and now it seems that the responsible people
in control found it difficult to even discuss the issue without
leaking the obvious concern that "these people" can't fully be
expected to exercise their vote in a responsible way and that's
why we need the safeguards which...Oops.. seem to have the
result of reducing their representation.
My understanding was that your staff was hoping that no more
than 10,000 people would register. The internet is a big place.
I would propose that you should find it unacceptable if your
staff is unable to generate at least 1,000,000 registrations.
It is very easy for ICANN to generate huge amounts of world wide
publicity. I have seen no evidence of it using this ability to
promote wide scale registrations. From what gets through to me
in the press, I see an organization from which emanates policies
and communications that appear designed to discourage
participation. For instance instead of emphasizing that
registration is FREE, ICANN appears to emphasize that it is
going to charge a yet "to be determined" membership fee.
It is the grass roots perception of unfairness that is
generating what demand for registration there is.
If NSI had carefully attended to the issue of fairness and
perception of fairness, they would likely still be in control of
their registration franchise. They didn't and they aren't. If
ICANN doesn't start proactively addressing this issue in a
satisfactory manner, the same fait may await it.
I propose that your job entails
1. not only efficiently running ICANN,
2. not only running it fairly, but
3. delivering the appearance of fairness.
You may well be doing the first (running ICANN efficiently). It
appears to me that you are not doing the second. You are
definitely not doing the third.
I'd like to encourage you to try doing all three with equal
vigor. Doing the first alone isn't good enough. Even doing the
first two isn't good enough.
For you to succeed, you must succeed equally with all three
deliverables.
What grade would you give yourself on the third deliverable?
If you reported to someone, and your were that someone, how
would you rate your performance? How would you rate the
performance of the ICANN staff? Was the selection of the
inadequate registration server and the failure to quickly
upgrade it the result of sinister design, mopery or other
causes.
Does that even matter? Would you accept any excuses from an
employee in your own business if they screwed up a subscription
campaign like this registration process has been... and then
pretended that it didn't matter?
Doing all three of the above items adequately is better than
doing the first one very well and the last two poorly.
It may be that this job can be better handled by a politician
than by an entrepreneur. Maybe ICANN is a venture that needs to
be de-privatized.
Curtis Sahakian
847/676-2774
Cpart(_at_)Corporate-Partnering(_dot_)com
July 29, 2000 3:32 AM
Subject: Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt ToRegister
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2000 3:32 AM
Hi Curtis,
You are asking some good questions about some basics
philosophies behind the design and structure of ICANN :-)
By all appearances, the people behind ICANN don't
want voting, they don't want representation, and they
don't want to do anything that would jeopardize their
total control over the Internet.
Originally, we argued for representational structures
that were quantitative. Instead, we got a process that
attempts to control everything about the vote, including
the number of voters, and the candidates they can vote for!
But even if the registration process was working smoothly,
ICANN has taken away your right to control half the board.
Instead of the 9 out of 18 directors as stipulated by the
White Paper, ICANN's current process only results in 5 out
of *19* directors, and ICANN can terminate those 5 at their
option!!!
[Even if you are given a vote in the at-Large membership,
ICANN has taken away your right to be a member. This legal
ploy allows the current board to avoid any of those nasty
rules that apply to California Membership Organizations.]
In actuality, this progression is exactly what we warned
about when the initial ICANN by-laws were approved without
any accountability clauses, and the initial ICANN board
appeared of a virgin birth.
Instead of an *interim* board that stuck around only long
enough to find their legitimately elected replacements (as
promised), they have used the last two years to consolidate
their position, all while making landmark decisions about
the future of the Internet commons.
Much of this history is up at the Iperdome site:
www.iperdome.com
Hope this helps,
Jay.
July 29, 2000 3:35 AM
----------
From: Michael Sondow <msondow(_at_)iciiu(_dot_)org>
To: vinton g. cerf <vcerf(_at_)mci(_dot_)net>
Cc: list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org; Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>;
Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>;
icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; Mikki Barry
<ooblick(_at_)netpolicy(_dot_)com>
Subject: Re: [IFWP] Re: [icann-board] Re: You are Turning Away Outside
Members Who AttemptTo Register
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2000 3:35 AM
vinton cerf wrote:
Please believe me, there is no deliberate attempt to color any outcome
How can anyone believe that, Mr. Cerf, when you and the rest of the
board (still majoritarily unelected) have reduced the At-large
directors to five so that they won't equal the non-At-large, are
reviewing the desirability of even having At-large directors, and
have suppressed the authority of the membership which was a
condition for the recognition of ICANN as the NewCo?
============================================================
Michael Sondow I.C.I.I.U. http://www.iciiu.org
Tel. (718)846-7482 Fax: (603)754-8927
============================================================
July 29, 2000 4:34 AM
Subject: Re: [IFWP] Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt
ToRegister
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2000 4:34 AM
Jay Fenello wrote:
[Even if you are given a vote in the at-Large membership,
ICANN has taken away your right to be a member. This legal
That is correct. The fundamental power and authority of mebership is
the right to vote on the bylaws of the organization. The ICANN board
has denied this right to those signing up to vote in the at-large
election. This means that even after at-large directors are elected,
the authority of those directors can be undermined through changes
in the bylaws restricting their power, even denying them a vote on
policy issues before the board, and, as we have recently seen in a
new bylaw, the board can eliminate the at-large directors whenever
it wishes by a simple majority vote. The so-called membership will
be powerless to impede the board from effecting such changes to
ICANN's bylaws, since it will not have the right to vote against
them.
ICANN is a dictatorship.
============================================================
Michael Sondow I.C.I.I.U. http://www.iciiu.org
Tel. (718)846-7482 Fax: (603)754-8927
============================================================
July 29, 2000 12:43 PM
----------
From: Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>
To: Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>
Cc: Pam Brewster pbrewster(_at_)alexanderogilvy(_dot_)com
Subject: Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt ToRegister
Date: Saturday, July 29, 2000 12:43 PM
Thanks for all the attention you are paying to this matter. Though I don't
necessarily accept your premise, please tell me which politician you would
suggest. As you may or may not know, I hope to retire from this part-time,
unpaid position in November; I have lots of other things to do. We are also
looking for a replacement for Mike Roberts, the president, who is fulltime,
and who is working doubletime.
FWIW, I would rate the staff as individuals very highly, though overall
there are not enough of them, so we can not be as responsive or proactive on
PR as we would like. On the other questions, we are not as good as we would
like to be, but it is a weakness of implementation, not of intention. If I
*did* have a single boss here, I would say that we need more money and
resources.....
Esther
Subject: Complaint to Dept of Commerce on abuse of users by ICANN
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 12:38 PM
I sent the following to Becky Burr a few minutes ago as a formal
complaint about the ICANN abuse of users
My proposal is online at the Dept of Commerce NTIA web site and
also at http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/other/dns_proposal.txt
I welcome comments and discussion on the issues raised by the letter
I have sent to Becky Burr and on the actual problem that has to
be solved to protect and scale the vital functions of the Internet
in the public internet.
Ronda
ronda(_at_)panix(_dot_)com
----------
Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 11:57:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: <ronda(_at_)panix(_dot_)com>
To: bburr(_at_)ntia(_dot_)doc(_dot_)gov, msondow(_at_)iciiu(_dot_)org,
tom(_dot_)bliley(_at_)mail(_dot_)house(_dot_)gov,
vcerf(_at_)mci(_dot_)net
Subject: Formal complaint of abuse of users by ICANN
Becky Burr
NTIA
U.S. Dept of Commerce
Washington, D.C.
Dear Becky
Have you tried to register for ICANN's membership? First the membership
is an ill conceived notion to try to hide that ICANN has been formed
to deny the public interest with regard to the Internet's names,
numbers and protocols. It's an effort to make it seem that a non profit
corporation can be entrusted with the ownership and control of vital
functions of the infrastructure of the Internet. A nonprofit corporation
can't be entrusted with this. These are vital social and public
resources and they can't be put into a private sector entity.
However, rather than the US government making it possible to
examine the problem of how to protect the vital functions of the
Internet and to scale them in the public interest, ICANN was empowered
by the U.S. Department of Commerce with unbridled powers and a limited
provision was created for so called "membership" of users, i.e. some
limited right supposedly to vote for certain so called at large directors.
Well, people are now trying to sign up for that membership, for that
limited right to vote and it is clear that the ICANN folks are
not even making any access available to that. The version to sign
up at the ICANN web site requires frames. So people who don't have
a browser with frames are not able to even use that part of the
web site. And an alternative web site set up in another country
gives a message of "We are sorry. The database is currently overloaded.
Please try again when the system is less busy." when I tried to sign
up.
Clearly the whole ICANN model is not appropriate for the needs
of the Internet and its users.
I did propose a different model, and a prototype to build this
model to you before ICANN was given the U.S. Dept of Commerce
contract.
Clearly it was crucial that you explore other models and try
to determine what was the best proposal for the problem the
U.S. government was faced with, namely how to protect the vital
functions of the Internet from vested interests and to make
it possible for them to scale.
It seems that the U.S. government wasn't even interested
in trying to identify the problem that had to be solved,
let alone in trying to determine how to solve it.
I am formerly objecting to the whole process of the creation
and development of ICANN by the U.S. Department of Commerce,
and requesting that you find a way to have the proposal I
provided the Department of Commerce implemented.
My proposal provided a means to create meaningful online participation
by users and for computer scientists supported by their governments
to create an open process that would utilize the Internet and
its interactive processes to create the cooperative form needed
to safeguard the vital functions of the Internet's infrastructure.
That is what is needed not an institutional entity to encourage
the "vested interests" to fight over power and control over vital
functions of the Internet.
I am sending this to you as a formal complaint of not being
allowed to register with ICANN and asking that you take the necessary
means to stop the abuse of users and the Internet that ICANN
represents.
Sincerely
Ronda Hauben
244 West 72nd Street Apt 15D
New York, N.Y. 10023
U.S.A.
(212)787-9361
ronda(_at_)ais(_dot_)org
July 30, 2000 1:00 PM
Subject: Re: Complaint to Dept of Commerce on abuse of users by ICANN
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 1:00 PM
and I replied:
Ronda,
have you taken time to look into the numbers of people trying to
register? do you know what the planning estimates were before
registration campaigns were initiated by various organizations?
The planning numbers for registration were on the order of 10,000
people. As of a few days ago something like 145,000 people had
sent in raw registrations. Keep in mind also that there is a
PIN number that has to be sent by mail. There is a calendar
schedule that ICANN is trying to keep for the election itself,
so the PINs have to get to the voters in time for that.
Every possible effort was made to increase the rate at which
registrations could be processed and we've gone from about 1000
a day to an artificially limited 5,000 per day (200 per hour)
simply because staff time to process is limited. Registrations
close July 31.
We all understand that the demand for this franchise far exceeds
our ability to satisfy it in this election cycle. An in-depth study
of the whole process is scheduled to begin after this election,
Ronda - perhaps you were unaware of that? The board detailed specific
areas to be considered. Perhaps the most effective way for your
idea to be considered is to arrange for your proposal to be made
available to the ICANN board?
Vint Cerf
=================================================================
I moved to a new MCI WorldCom facility on Nov 11, 1999
MCI WorldCom
22001 Loudoun County Parkway
Building F2, Room 4115, ATTN: Vint Cerf
Ashburn, VA 20147
Telephone (703) 886-1690
FAX (703) 886-0047
"INTERNET IS FOR EVERYONE!"
INET 2001: Internet Global Summit
5-8 June 2001
Sweden International Fairs
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.isoc.org/inet2001
July 30, 2000 1:54 PM
From: Russ Smith <russ(_at_)consumer(_dot_)net>
To: vinton g. cerf <vcerf(_at_)mci(_dot_)net>; ronda(_at_)panix(_dot_)com;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com;
edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com; gregcrew(_at_)iaa(_dot_)com(_dot_)au;
icann(_at_)icann(_dot_)org; ietf(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
Subject: RE: Complaint to Dept of Commerce on abuse of users by ICANN
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 1:54 PM
have you taken time to look into the numbers of people trying to
register? do you know what the planning estimates were before
registration campaigns were initiated by various organizations?
The planning numbers for registration were on the order of 10,000
people. As of a few days ago something like 145,000 people had
This excuse follows the same "excuse pattern" that ICANN provides for almost
every problem. What keeps happening is that these groups that do the
"planning" do so in secret and routinely ignore comments and often do not
know what they are doing. Then when all kinds of problems occur due to the
faulty planning there are all these claims that some schedule must be met
and that anyone who wants to correct the problems is trying to slow down the
process and should be ignored.
July 30, 2000 2:15 PM
----------
From: Jay Fenello <Jay(_at_)Fenello(_dot_)com>
To: vinton g. cerf <vcerf(_at_)mci(_dot_)net>
Subject: Re: [IFWP] Re: Complaint to Dept of Commerce on abuse of usersby
ICANN
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 2:15 PM
At 01:00 PM 7/30/00, vinton g. cerf wrote:
and I replied:
Ronda,
Hi Vint,
It is thoroughly disheartening to see one of
the founding fathers of the Internet become
just another run-of-the-mill ICANN apologist.
have you taken time to look into the numbers of people trying to
register? do you know what the planning estimates were before
registration campaigns were initiated by various organizations?
There's an old saying --
"A lack of planning on your part, does
not constitute an emergency on our part."
Frankly, even calling those bogus Membership
Committee processes "planning" is a joke. If
anything, it was an exercise in "how do we
give the *appearances* of accountability and
representation, without really doing so."
If ICANN was so concerned about doing studies
about representation before proceeding, then why
didn't they worry about "representation" when the
initial board was announced? Why didn't they
worry about studies when the DNSO structure
(another gamed entity) was announced?
What's truly ironic is the double standard that
applies to user representation. Why do people
who were initially funded by the U.S. Government
(with U.S. taxpayer dollars) somehow feel that
they have some kind of God-given right to assume
control over ICANN, and make these decisions for
all Netizens of the World?
The planning numbers for registration were on the order of 10,000
people.
A case of bad planning, or gaming gone bad?
I'll remind you that ICANN was originally promoted
as some obscure technical coordination society, despite
repeated claims from the outside that it was much more
important than that (Post, Froomkin, Mueller, et al.)
Now that the Internet community realizes that they've
been lied to, they want to participate in the process.
I can't blame them. In fact, if I thought for a minute
that my vote would make a difference, I would join in a
heartbeat (or at least *try* and join :-).
I now know better than that :-(
Jay.
July 31, 2000 11:31 AM
----------
From: vinton g. cerf <vcerf(_at_)MCI(_dot_)NET>
To: Jonathan Cohen <jcohen(_at_)shapirocohen(_dot_)com>
Cc: Esther Dyson <edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>; Curtis E. Sahakian
<cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>; icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org;
list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org; comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: [icann-board] Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members
WhoAttemptTo Register
Date: Monday, July 31, 2000 11:31 AM
The trouble is, it is too little, too late - we're already over the
top in terms of what we can handle in a reasonable time frame, taking
our funding (now expended) into account. More time is more cost and more
delay - it doesn't add up.
vint
=================================================================
I moved to a new MCI WorldCom facility on Nov 11, 1999
MCI WorldCom
22001 Loudoun County Parkway
Building F2, Room 4115, ATTN: Vint Cerf
Ashburn, VA 20147
Telephone (703) 886-1690
FAX (703) 886-0047
"INTERNET IS FOR EVERYONE!"
INET 2001: Internet Global Summit
5-8 June 2001
Sweden International Fairs
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.isoc.org/inet2001
July 31, 2000 12:49 PM
----------
From: Mikki Barry <ooblick(_at_)netpolicy(_dot_)com>
To: cerf(_at_)mci(_dot_)net
Cc: Jonathan Cohen <jcohen(_at_)shapirocohen(_dot_)com>; Esther Dyson
<edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com>; Curtis E. Sahakian
<cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>; icann-board(_at_)icann(_dot_)org;
list(_at_)ifwp(_dot_)org; comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: [IFWP] Re: [icann-board] Re: You are Turning Away Outside MembersWho
AttemptTo Register
Date: Monday, July 31, 2000 12:49 PM
At 11:31 AM -0400 7/31/00, vinton g. cerf wrote:
The trouble is, it is too little, too late - we're already over the
top in terms of what we can handle in a reasonable time frame, taking
our funding (now expended) into account. More time is more cost and more
delay - it doesn't add up.
I'm sorry, but I just don't understand this, Vint. The White Paper
specified a democratic process. ORSC put in a competing bid to ICANN
to become Newco which included the type of voting registration and
procedures that fulfilled the White Paper's mandate. ICANN was
chosen as at least the partial contract winner. Now, two years
later, we still do not have any type of democratic process in place,
and now, two years later, funding is mentioned as an issue?
Given the amount of money spent on Jones Day, a PR firm, and the
ICANN salaries, it is difficult for me to accept that funding is an
issue. Given the two years of waiting, I can't accept that the time
frame is an issue. Especially given the ramming through of the UDRP,
extensions for certain board member terms, etc. as "we must do this
right now." It confuses me that something as important as
representation has been studied and sidelined for so long and even
now is broken enough to deny people the ability to register (myself
included, I tried for quite some time) while the UDRP and other
measures have sailed right through in the face of harsh criticism.
I realize that you, personally, were not on the board when some of
these decisions were made. However, I believe that if "The Internet
is for Everyone" that everyone who desires it will be given
representation in decisions that could well restrict everyone's uses
of the medium.
July 30, 2000 11:51 PM
From: Curtis E. Sahakian <cpart(_at_)interaccess(_dot_)com>
To: edyson(_at_)edventure(_dot_)com; icann(_at_)icann(_dot_)org;
comments(_at_)icann(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: You are Turning Away Outside Members Who Attempt To Register
Date: Sunday, July 30, 2000 11:51 PM
Esther,
There are four items I feel the need to bring up.
1. My Apologies.
You have a thankless job and you seem a bit weary of all the
criticism. I have no doubt that you mean well and are trying to
solve a puzzle that seems to have no optimal solution. It is
not my intent to burden you with more negative emotion on the
subject.
You do have you hands on the steering wheel of ICANN. As a
result you have indirect control over one of the most potent
forces of human intellectual and economic evolution since the
invention of movable type. For that reason I feel compelled to
reach out to you and convince you to make a change in direction.
2. You Can Leave A Legacy.
There are hundreds of billions of dollars being made off the
internet. In short order it will become trillions of dollars.
There are billions of people on this planet and hundreds of
millions who use the internet. Why not challenge ICANN to reach
out to all these people and make them members. Why not create
the largest democratic organization in the world in the world.
Create the foundation of a new world wide virtual political
entity... a democratic political entity... a democratic
political entity that crosses old tribal lines and old political
lines.
Other than the air and the seas it is rapidly becoming the most
important shared resource on earth. Why should it not be
controlled by democratically elected representatives of all its
users.
You are in a position to catalyze an event of great moment by
merely reversing course. Instead of minimizing involvement by
individual users, why not reach out to include them.
3. How To Do It.
Start a world wide voter registration campaign. Try to register
every individual (as opposed to corporation) using the internet.
Give them the right to elect 2/3 of the seats on the board.
The memberships must be free (no poll taxes). No corporate
votes, only human beings. And there should be strict term
limits to keep candidates from cycling back too many times.
Do it all electronically. Go ahead take the risk. What is the
worst that can really happen. The launching of the American
democratic experiment in 1776 was considered by many to be a
foolish risk as well.
4. Where To Get The Resources
The remaining seats should be split among corporations and other
political entities. The corporation seats probably stay as they
are. You should have a seat for a United Nations
representative, a representative of a large country, of a medium
sized country and of a small country. The country seats should
be rotated so no one country begins to think it owns the
process.
Whatever the selection process for the individuals who fill
these seats, they must bring along with them a sponsor willing
to pay a very hefty membership fee. No membership fee, no
representative. If the big companies are unwilling to pay then
smaller up and coming companies should be willing to pay.
Everyone believes that your board is the stooge of corporate
interests. They will not think they are losing anything if you
put the seats up for auction in order to support what will be
the largest democratic organization in the world. They already
believe the seats are bought and paid for. They will view it as
no great loss.
It is hard not to be taken aback that you could have a
representative of MCI WorldCom on your board yet not have the
resources to be able to move you registration system to a server
that can handle more that 145,000 registrations. They need to
ante up or get out.
5. Please Reconsider Your Current Direction.
If you let matters continue on their current course and then
leave in November, you will have presided over a mess that
occurred on your watch. You will leave nothing that you should
feel proud of.
The founders of America risked hanging for treason and
impoverishment of their families when they challenged King
George and launched a democracy in the new world. Now it is
your chance to make the history books... with much less risk.
All you have to do is reverse course and back the full
enfranchisement of other human beings. Others are likely to
come up with numerous excuses why you can't or shouldn't do what
I am proposing you consider. I can solve any excuse or problem
that anyone brings up
Your famous father certainly left a legacy to the world. You
now have the opportunity to contribute far more. I am hoping
that you will take it.
It's not easy for human beings to make an abrupt change in
direction. That is what I'm asking you to do. Would you please
mull it over and at least consider it. What the heck, why not
leave your tour of duty with ICANN having done something great
and lasting.
Thank you for your kind consideration
Curtis Sahakian
847/676-2774
Cpart(_at_)Corporate-Partnering(_dot_)com
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