[ALAC] NTIA Blog by Larry Strickling

[Rinalia Abdul Rahim]

FYI.

Rinalia
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http://www.ntia.doc.gov/blog/2015/stakeholder-proposals-come-together-icann-meeting-argentina
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> Stakeholder Proposals to Come Together at ICANN Meeting in Argentina
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> June 16, 2015 by Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information
and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling
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> Next week, hundreds of members of the Internet stakeholder community will
attend the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN)
53rd meeting in Argentina. As I head to Buenos Aires, one of NTIA’s top
priorities continues to be the transition of NTIA’s role related to the
Internet Domain Name System. Since we announced the IANA stewardship
transition in March 2014 [1], the response of the stakeholder community has
been remarkable and inspiring. I thank everyone for their hard work.
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> The meeting in Buenos Aires will be pivotal, as the community finalizes
the components of the transition proposal and determines what remains to be
done. The three stakeholder groups planning the transition of the
individual IANA functions have made great progress. I congratulate the
Cross Community Working Group on Naming Related Functions for finishing its
draft proposal and look forward to this work stream reaching closure. The
other two stakeholder groups – the Internet Engineering Task Force, which
is shepherding the protocol parameter proposal, and the five Regional
Internet Registries, which collaborated on the numbering proposal –
finished their proposals earlier this year.
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> Now the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) must combine
these proposals into a consolidated transition proposal and then seek
public comment on all aspects of the plan. ICG’s role is crucial, because
it must build a public record for us on how the three customer group
submissions tie together in a manner that ensures NTIA’s criteria [1] are
met and institutionalized over the long term.
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> In addition to the ICG transition proposal, the final submission to NTIA
must include a plan to enhance ICANN’s accountability. Given that the draft
proposal of the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN
Accountability will be a major focus of the discussions next week in
Argentina, I would like to offer the following questions for stakeholders
to consider:
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> The draft proposes new or modified community empowerment tools. How can
the Working Group on Accountability ensure that the creation of new
organizations or tools will not interfere with the security and stability
of the DNS during and after the transition? Do new committees and
structures create a different set of accountability questions?
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> The draft proposal focuses on a membership model for community
empowerment. Have other possible models been thoroughly examined, detailed,
and documented?  Has the working group designed stress tests of the various
models to address how the multistakeholder model is preserved if individual
ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees opt out?  Similarly,
has the working group developed stress tests to address the potential risk
of capture and barriers to entry for new participants of the various
models? Further, have stress tests been considered to address potential
unintended consequences of “operationalizing” groups that to date have been
advisory in nature?
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> The draft proposal suggests improvements to the current Independent
Review Panel (IRP). The IRP has been criticized for its own lack of
accountability. How does the proposal analyze and remedy existing concerns
with the IRP?
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> In designing a plan for improved accountability, should the working group
consider what exactly is the role of the ICANN Board within the
multistakeholder model?  Should the standard for Board action be to confirm
that the community has reached consensus, and if so, what accountability
mechanisms are needed to ensure the Board operates in accordance with that
standard?
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> The proposal is primarily focused on the accountability of the ICANN
Board. Has the Working Group also considered if there need to be
accountability improvements that would apply to ICANN management and staff
or to the various ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees?
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> All of these questions require thoughtful consideration prior to the
community’s completion of the transition plan. Similar to the ICG, the
Working Group on Accountability will need to build a public record and
thoroughly document how the NTIA criteria have been met and will be
maintained in the future.
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> As the plans take final shape, I hope the community starts to focus on
the matter of implementation of its recommendations. Have the issues of
implementation been identified and addressed in the proposal so that the
community and ICANN can implement the plan as expeditiously as possible
once we have reviewed and accepted it?  This is an important issue right
now because after the Buenos Aires meeting, NTIA will need to make a
determination on extending its current contract with ICANN, which expires
on September 30, 2015. Last month, I asked both the ICG and the Working
Group on Accountability for an update on the transition planning, as well
as their views on how long it will take to finalize and implement the
transition plan if it were approved.  Keeping in mind that the community
and ICANN will need to implement all work items identified by the ICG and
the Working Group on Accountability as prerequisites for the transition
before the contract can end. The community’s input on timing is critical
and will strongly influence how NTIA proceeds with the contract extension.
I look forward to hearing from everyone in Buenos Aires.
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> At this key juncture, it is timely to not only take stock of all the work
that has occurred, but also what lies ahead. I recognize that some
stakeholder groups have finalized their proposals and are anxious to move
forward. But NTIA will only review a comprehensive plan that includes all
elements, and we must let the multistakeholder process run its full course.
In that same spirit, I urge all global stakeholders – community members,
ICANN Board members, and ICANN staff  – to work together constructively to
complete this final stage of the transition. The commitment by the global
community to develop a consensus proposal that meets NTIA’s conditions and
improves ICANN’s accountability is a testament to the power of the
multistakeholder model.
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END
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