[NA-Discuss] FTC letter on new gTLDs

[Evan Leibovitch]

On 19 December 2011 15:16, Avri Doria <avri at ella.com> wrote:


> Much of the world is watching and is not friendly to the idea of the US
> pulling the strings.  The second that ICANN starts allowing itself to be
> jerked around by US agencies whose strings are controlled by big US money,
> is the beginning of the end.
>
> That is what I think.
>

I don't disagree. Where we part company is in identifying which "agencies",
controlled by US (and some foreign) money, are pulling the strings.

The jerking around is well and truly underway... just not IMO by
governments. It's no accident that there does not exist a trade association
for registries and registrars to represent their interests because,
arguably, ICANN already serves that role quite well.

These new stakeholders have been represented by the GAC for a long time.


"Represented" ... as in, observer status in a body that itself has only
advisory and no policy-making role? One might be excused for thinking such
status keeps them very far from the action.

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that not all MSM stakeholders are
equal. Claims of a broadly-inclusive process, that has some stakeholders
deeply embedded while others need to yell really loud just to join the
distant periphery, aren't fooling anyone outside ICANN's bubble.

- Evan