> >Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 00:42:17 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Subject: Letter about use of Procurement Control to Privatize Public
> Resources
> >
> >
> >Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 00:35:59 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Ronda Hauben <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Subject: about the Federal Procurement Contract for ICANN
> >
> >Letter sent to Teresa Reefe at NIST to protest Federal Procurement
> >Contract being used to Privatize Public Resources
> >
> >
> >Dear Teresa
> >
> >I am curious about the use of a federal procurement contract to give
> >away government held public resources to a private sector corporation
> >like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
> >
> >This seems an inappropriate use of a procurement contract and there
> >doesn't seem to be an appropriate authority to give public resources,
> >especially crucially important infrastructure resources like IP numbers,
> >the domain name system, and the protocols organization into the
> >ownership and/or control of a private sector corporation via the kind
> >of contract that the US government uses to purchase goods and services
> >for government entities.
> >
> >Can you explain why this is the means of privatizating such crucial
> >public resources?
> >
> >I offered one of the proposals for how to determine an appropriate
> >form for the care and administration of these crucial public resources
> >to the Department of Commerce before the ICANN proposal was submitted.
> >
> >My proposal did not get any serious attention by any Dept of Commerce
> >official. Instead they awarded a design and test contract to ICANN.
> >The activity of ICANN has not been of a "design and test" nature
> >as they cut off discussion and limit public imput into their process.
> >Interim board members were selected by some secret process that has
> >yet to be made public. And they are taking over the control and potentially
> >ownership of a vital public resource without any public process or
> >legitimate procedures.
> >
> >If the process were indeed a design and test process, my proposal would
> >have been accepted.
> >
> >Thus can you please accept this as a protest of the award of public
> >resources to ICANN under a contract drawn up for totally different
> >purposes.
> >
> >I also want to protest that ICANN is not carrying out any design and
> >test activities under their current memorandum of agreement with the
> >Department of Commerce.
> >
> >And I want to ask that you inform me of what procedures I have
> >available to me to challenge how public property and resources are
> >being taken from the public and given to ICANN.
> >
> >Sincerely
> >
> >Ronda Hauben
> >244 West 72nd Street Apt 15D
> >New York, N.Y. 10023
> >
> >(212)787-9361
Hi Ronda,
I echo your concerns and questions.
One option available to you is to inform
the GAO investigators of your experience
with the Commerce Department. FYI:
Jay.
From ftp://ftp.loc.gov/pub/thomas/cp106/hr398.txt
NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
The conferees direct the General Accounting Office to review the
relationship between the Department of Commerce and the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and to issue a report
no later than June, 2000. The conferees request that GAO review: (1) the
legal basis for the selection of U.S. representatives to ICANN's interim
board and for the expenditure of funds by the Department for the costs
of U.S. representation and participation in ICANN's proceedings; (2)
whether U.S. participation in ICANN proceedings is consistent with U.S.
law, including the Administrative Procedures Act; (3) a legal analysis
of the Department of Commerce's opinion that OMB Circular A 25 provides
ICANN, as a ``project partner'' with the Department of Commerce,
authority to impose fees on Internet users for ICANN's operating costs;
and (4) whether the Department has the legal authority to transfer
control of the authoritative root server to ICANN. In addition, the
conferees seek GAO's evaluation and recommendations regarding placing
responsibility for U.S. participation in ICANN under the National
Institute of Standards and Technology rather than NTIA, and request that
GAO review the adequacy of security arrangements under existing
Departmental cooperative agreements.
Respectfully,
Jay Fenello,
New Media Strategies
------------------------------------
http://www.fenello.com 770-392-9480
Aligning with Purpose(sm) ... for a Better World
------------------------------------------------
"If we want to change the world, we have to
begin by changing ourselves" -- Deepak Chopra
