[ALAC] Bikeshedding [was Re: Open Public Comment Proceedings]

[Evan Leibovitch]

Hi Seun,

On 2 September 2017 at 13:24, Seun Ojedeji <seun.ojedeji at gmail.com> wrote:


> Thanks for this and for raising a point about what you think we should be
> focusing our resources upon. May I suggest you kindly provide references to
> the discussion you refer so that people like myself can also follow-up.
>

​Well, the mailing list archives for the Red Cross issue can be found here
<http://mm.icann.org/pipermail/gnso-igo-ingo/>. Grab a strongly caffeinated
beverage before entering.​

​But there others like it​. We struggle to find the end-user interest in
mechanical issues such as "vertical integration", which matter a great deal
to the industry but not a whole lot to non-registrant end-users. Yet we get
caught up in them, taking resources away from broader topics such as the
ethics of domain speculation and trademark-owner intimidation which *do*
impact end users.


> That said, I wonder whether once someone raises an issue of importance,
> staff can be in a position to provide brief documentation that helps others
> have some background understanding of the issue in other to better
> contribute to the discussion.
>

​The talent wasted among At-Large-dedicated staff is staggering. People who
have deep backgrounds in policy research and analysis find themselves
dealing with travel problems and meeting schedules.

The At-Large Review underway recommends that *"**ICANN staff are to be more
proactively engaged in support of the Community’s policy work"*. This is
among the few outcomes of the Review with which I agree. Professional
word-smithing and research support cannot be over-valued in this realm.


> Overall we should not be waiting for PC before ALAC puts in position
> statements to WG and/or advice to the Board
>

​A few years ago when I was more deeply involved, At-Large (or people
involved with it) would produce topical white papers and high-level
documents that provoked thought and were intended to be more proactive and
less reactive. Perhaps that tactic ought to be revisited.

- Evan
​
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