Report on ICANN Members Forum
Marina del Rey, California
November 12, 2000
by Andrew Shen, EPIC and Internet Democracy Project
http://www.ICANNmembers.org
The meeting was opened by Hans Klein, who noted the success of the historic
ICANN At Large elections as evidence of public interest in ICANN activities
and who urged continued support for democratic process. Klein went on to
say that the next task is to build on the At Large momentum. He presented
one option - the development of an "enunciation" mechanism that will not
speak on behalf of At Large members but would facilitate future public
participation. He stated that the meeting was an attempt at member
self-organization and a search for consensus. Rather than looking for
discussion on substantive issues, he characterized the meeting as a search
for next steps. Klein offered, as one option, the formation of an Interim
Coordinating Committee.
The first panel of the meeting was entitled "Meet the New Directors",
moderated by Johannes Chiang. Four of the newly elected At Large Directors
- Andy Mueller-Maguhn (Europe), Ivan Moura Campos (Latin America and the
Caribbean), Nii Quaynor (Africa), Karl Auerbach (North America) - spoke
before the forum.
Andy Mueller-Maguhn first spoke about his role as representing a wide
region and his own background in computer networking. He began by noting
his opposition to ICANN, its relationship to the U.S. government, and a
centralized domain name system. He continued by pointing out some of the
major future issues for ICANN. First, privacy issues relating to lawful
interception and digital signatures. Second, the maintenance of public
spaces that remain separate from commercial rules like trademark. Third,
the promotion of diversity and decentralization. He ended by urging for
greater public participation.
Ivan Moura Campos next spoke about the online environment in Latin America.
He said that the biggest problem for that region is the uneven Internet
penetration. He went on to speak about trying to reach different
communities, increasing competition and eliminating monopolies for ISPs,
and the great need for funding that will promote more access. He also
encouraged working with different groups through joint ventures. He ended
by endorsing the proposal for an Interim Coordinating Committee
Nii Quaynor next spoke about his perspective from the Africa region. He
talked about ensuring that Africa is not left behind and working on behalf
of the underrepresented and disadvantaged. He cautioned about moving too
fast in favor of a slower, more thoughtful approach. He said he is trying
to increase the membership from the Africa region as well as the formation
of better supporting organizations. He also added his support for working
on common issues with those from different regions.
Karl Auerbach spoke briefly about his own background in technology and law.
In particular, he noted his own experience as a businessman, causing him to
be sympathetic to some of their concerns. He encouraged people not to worry
about short-term issues such as domain names but focus on long-term issues
such as address space. For the attendees, he suggested not looking too much
at policy issues but concentrating on creating an institution.
The second panel of the meeting was entitled "Regional Status Reports",
moderated by Wolfgang Kleinwaechter. Wolfgang began the session by reading
from the White Paper and re-asserting that the legitimacy of ICANN comes
from the public. He continued that a great deal depends on member
self-organization that often starts from particular regions.
Pierre Dandjinou spoke about the difficult organizing situation in Africa.
He said that most of the African Internet users are from South Africa,
there is an overall low numbers of users, and that Internet use is largely
confined to email. He also noted the difficulties in explaining ICANN and
why participating in that organization is important. He added that there
are also a lot of language difficulties although groups are starting to form.
Alan Levin continued speaking about the situation in Africa, in particular
about the Internet as a way to promote economic development. He added that
South Africa feels separate from the rest of Africa.
Myungkoo Kang spoke about the situation in Asia. He cited the need for
greater voter participation, learning about candidates, and visiting their
websites. He also mentioned the difficulty in explaining ICANN to
individuals and suggested the development of an "ICANN for dummies"
website. As with many other regions, he mentioned language barriers that
made it difficult to understand even the concept of At Large membership.
Jeanette Hofmann spoke about the experience in Germany where the national
media focused, and continues to focus, on ICANN. She also mentioned the
lack of ICANN outreach and the development of central listservs like
icann-europe.
Vittorio Bertola continued the discussion of the Europe region by noting
that most of the votes went to member-nominated candidates. He also
mentioned the strong nationalistic flavor of their elections and that some
countries were not that involved. He ended by noting the language problems.
Vany Martinez (?) spoke about the Latin American experience, in particular
the lack of Spanish translations and need to explain ICANN to ordinary users.
Barbara Simons spoke about the U.S. experience and strong support for
member-nominated candidates. Barbara spoke primarily about ensuring that
commercial interests don't dominate the Internet. She also urged for
greater diversity, including across age and gender.
The last session was an open discussion of various proposals for member
self-organization. Hans Klein set out the goal of the meeting as a search
for consensus, on ways of building on At Large momentum. Karl Auerbach and
others spoke about the legal obligations of ICANN as an entity incorporated
in California that may confer rights on At Large members. Others addressed
the need for institutions with procedures that can catalyze public
involvement. More discussion focused on the need for outreach and public
education. Jefsey Morfin spoke about the need for credibility in the face
of the public and the press. Alan Levin spoke about the need for the
development of local Internet communities. Choi Jae-Sook mentioned the need
for an organization that does not contribute ideas but only facilitates.
Klein offered the idea of the Interim Coordinating Committee, a secretariat
that would provide a neutral place for discussions. Barbara Simons spoke of
the formation of a body that serves as a separate force within ICANN, not
just as support for At Large candidates. Many opposed the need for another
legislature but pointed to the need for something that would help activate
and organize membership.
The meeting ended with the formation of an Interim Coordinating Committee.
The committee will be initially comprised of the members of the organizing
committee of the ICANN Members Forum in Los Angeles (see
http://www.ICANNmembers.org ). However, the committee is open to anyone
willing to work. It will exist for six months, attempting to accomplish
many of the goals mentioned in the discussion period.
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