[NA-Discuss] Inclusion of Individual Internet Users within the City-TLD Multistakeholder Governance Environment

Thomas Lowenhaupt toml at communisphere.com
Mon May 16 02:52:05 UTC 2016


Following up on the recent exchange here on NARALO Discuss, concerning 
the 4 changes to New York City's .nyc registry agreement, and my belief 
that modification to the extant operating processes were in order, today 
I reviewed the ICANN By-Laws 
<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en#XI> as they 
relate to ALAC responsibilities. And it seems apparent that more should 
be done to keep New York City's individual Internet users informed and 
engaged about ICANN activities.

I base this conclusion on my reading of Article XI, subsection 2.4.j 
which lists 10 responsibilities of ALAC. If one considers 
responsibilities 2, 4, 5, 6, and 10, one is likely to conclude that 
something fell through the cracks 
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fall_through_the_cracks> in the 4 
instances where the registry agreement was changed and the city's 
individual Internet users were not informed.

    "The ALAC is also responsible, working in conjunction with the
    RALOs, for coordinating the following activities:

     1. Making a selection by the At-Large Community to fill Seat 15 on
        the Board. Notification of the At-Large Community's selection
        shall be given by the ALAC Chair in writing to the ICANN
        Secretary, consistent with Article VI, Sections 8(4) and 12(1).
     2. *Keeping the community of individual Internet users informed
        about the significant news from **ICANN**;*
     3. Distributing (through posting or otherwise) an updated agenda,
        news about ICANN, and information about items in the ICANN
        policy-development process;
     4. *Promoting outreach activities in the community of individual
        Internet users;*
     5. *Developing and maintaining on-going information and education
        programs, regarding **ICANN**and its work;*
     6. *Establishing an outreach strategy about **ICANN**issues in each
        RALO's Region;*
     7. Participating in the ICANN policy development processes and
        providing input and advice that accurately reflects the views of
        individual Internet users;
     8. Making public, and analyzing, ICANN's proposed policies and its
        decisions and their (potential) regional impact and (potential)
        effect on individuals in the region;
     9. Offering Internet-based mechanisms that enable discussions among
        members of At-Large structures; and
    10. *Establishing mechanisms and processes that enable two-way
        communication between members of At-Large Structures and those
        involved in **ICANN**decision-making, so interested individuals
        can share their views on pending **ICANN**issues."*

Think about it... Between December 1, 2014 and March 31, 2016 four (4) 
changes were made to the .nyc registry agreement 
<https://www.icann.org/resources/agreement/nyc-2014-01-23-en>. No effort 
was made to inform New York City's individual Internet users about these 
changes or their possible impact. After reading clauses 2, 4, 5, 6 and 
10 does anyone disagree with my conclusion, that more should be done to 
keep New York City's individual Internet users informed and engaged 
about ICANN activities?

If there 's no disagreement, how do we move ahead to assure that ALAC 
responsibilities, as spelled out in Article XI of ICANN's By-Laws,  are 
appropriately adhered to in the future?

Sincerely,

Tom Lowenhaupt


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