[ALAC] ALAC Public Comments

[Alan Greenberg]

We have a discussion of Public Comments scheduled to occur on Sunday. 
The intent is that come to an agreement on how to decide on issuing a 
comment and the process to follow.

Currently, when a new Public Comment opens, or we receive a request 
for input from some group, either the ALAC or the ALT reviews the 
issue at one of its meeting. If it is an ALT meeting and a 
recommendation is made, it is conveyed to the ALAC. Typically we 
either decide not to respond, or ask someone for a more detailed 
analysis. Sometimes a comment is written at that stage, without 
really "deciding" to do so.

This process is problematic for a number of reasons. The time lost 
before a meeting or before someone looks at the issue is critical and 
tends to use most of the available time. This results in little time 
for review and revision. A new method must be found.

The question of when to respond is perhaps easier:

- We have something SUBSTANTIVE to say
- We feel a token Thank you (we agree) is felt to be important
- There are users implications
- There are implications related to ICANN's overall organization, 
effectiveness, finance or credibility.