[NA-Discuss] Call for comments on NTIA NOI for the IANA functions - deadline 23 March

[Eric Brunner-Williams]

Colleagues,

On the subject of the NTIA's NOI for the IANA function, which is 
available at the following link:

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/frnotices/2011/fr_ianafunctionsnoi_02252011.pdf.

The ALAC draft text is available here:

Question 1 on the necessity of a single contract for the "IANA function":
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comment+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+1+-+March+2011

Question 2 on performance metrics in the contract(s) for the "IANA 
function":
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comments+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+2+-+March+2011

Question 3 on root zone change requests, a specific function currently 
carried out within the IANA functions:
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comments+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+3+-+March+2011

Question 4 on the necessity and sufficiency of existing performance 
and reporting requirements for the IANA function:
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comments+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+4+-+March+2011

Question 5 on improvements or performance enhancements to the IANA 
function:
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comments+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+5+-+March+2011

Question 6 on security considerations and performance requirements for 
the IANA function:
https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/ALAC+Comments+on+NTIA+NOI+Question+6+-+March+2011

Some phrases picked more or less at random from the draft ALAC 
response to Question 1:

"The ICANN, as a single entity, has so far lead the IANA functions 
with all the seriousness possible and has respected the contract with 
the US Government to the letter."

and

"ICANN has so far delivered well. Why try to fix something that is not 
broken?"

I ceased attempting to inform the authors of the ALAC draft comments 
on the 22nd/23rd. It is reasonable to characterize my comments as 
dissimilar to the comments of the majority of the contributors to the 
ALAC draft comment, and having no informative effect.

Having consulted to the IANA in 2007 on the transformation of the 
IANA's ticketing and queue management reporting system to the IAB, the 
anticeedents of the project that began a year later with the 
replacement of some of the perl-based tools with python-based tools, I 
have been reluctant to assert a qualitative difference in subject 
matter knowledge to the authors of the responses linked above based 
upon personal knowledge. I've tried persuasion rather than authority, 
to no effect.

Today Olaf Kolkman, IAB Chair wrote the IETF-Announce list a request 
that substantive comments be sent to iab at iab.org.

I will use that avenue, rather than remain in conflict with the other 
authors if the ALAC draft comment.

Eric