[NA-Discuss] Summary Minutes NARALO Call 17 January 2011

[Eric Brunner-Williams]

On 1/18/11 4:23 AM, ICANN At-Large Staff wrote:
> Update on ALAC Policy Discussions
> A review of ALAC¹s policy discussions in Cartagena can be found in the
> Chair's report from Cartagena
> <http://www.atlarge.icann.org/announcements/announcement-10dec10-en.htm> .
...
> Eric: The fact that the Board did not adopt the GAC recommendation was
> remarkable.
>

Correction:

The fact that the Board invoked the Bylaws concerning the rejection of 
GAC advice by the Board is remarkable.

The GAC's advice has been "non-adopted" previously, even repeatedly 
from some expressions of GAC members. Hence the surprise that there 
was a moment of really high drama at Cartagena during the open 
GAC-Board meeting in which the GAC, citing the rejection of its 
advice, invoked the Bylaws.

This has not happened at any time previous, and is the cause of the 
Board's non-vote on starting the new gTLD application process at 
Cartagena, and the Board's decision to hold an intersessional meeting 
prior to the San Francisco meeting.

Personally, I was gratified to see the applicant requirement for 
public support extended from capitals (Washington, Ottawa) to all 
cities. During the IANA management of the .US zone (prior to 2002), 
more than 40% of the US metro markets were "owned" by just six 
speculators. This is not a public resource management experience that 
should be repeated.

Eric