Clarification or correction WANTED: ICANN Community writes letter Questioning ICANN’s Proposed Accountability Process

In another unpredicted development the entire community of ICANN stakeholders has sent a joint letter to CEO Fadi Chehade and the ICANN Board that strongly questions the “Enhancing ICANN Accountability and Governance – Process and Next Steps” document published by ICANN staff on August 14th over widespread community objections. Signatories to the August 26th letter (text below) include the GNSO Council and all of the GNSO’s stakeholder groups and constituencies, the Country Code Name Supporting Organization, the At-Large Advisory Committee, the Security and Stability Advisory Committee — and, most surprisingly, the Governmental Advisory Committee.

The letter states that “substantial questions and concerns remain unanswered, including around the process to date and the plan as constructed” and promises to deliver a “list of clarifying questions and comments within seven days” so that the signatories “not only understand the proposed approach, but are able to endorse it”. In other words, the current Accountability Process lacks the endorsement of any stakeholder group within ICANN.

The text of the letter follows.

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August 26, 2014
Fadi Chehadé, CEO, ICANN
Dr. Stephen Crocker, Chair, ICANN Board of Directors

Dear Fadi, Steve and ICANN Directors,
Regarding ICANN’s announcement on August 14, 2014, Enhancing Accountability: Process and Next Steps, the Supporting Organisation, Advisory Committee, Stakeholder Group and Constituency chairs formally request additional time and opportunity to review and discuss the proposal contained in the announcement and in the subsequent FAQ’s published on August 22, so that next steps can be confirmed with increased support from the ICANN community.

Recognizing that the ICANN plan is a brand new construct that was announced without a corresponding public comment period, substantial questions and concerns remain unanswered, including around the process to date and the plan as constructed.

The undersigned Supporting Organisation, Advisory Committee, Stakeholder Group and Constituency leaders are currently engaging our respective groups’ bottom-up, consensus processes at this time to develop and finalize a list of questions that will require clarification or correction. As a result, additional opportunity is needed to ensure understanding of the proposal and the ways in which it is responsive to the interests and working methods of the ICANN stakeholder groups. We commit to submitting to ICANN staff our list of clarifying questions and comments within seven days of this letter.

Since the Enhancing Accountability process will affect ICANN’s future, as well as the range of stakeholders impacted by its decisions, we trust that this request will be received positively and lead to further engagement on this important matter to ensure that the SOs, ACs and SGs and Cs not only understand the proposed approach, but are able to endorse it.

Signed,
Elisa Cooper, Commercial Business Users, Commercial Stakeholder Group
Olivier Crépin-LeBlond, At-Large Advisory Committee
Rafik Dammak, Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group
William Drake, Non-Commercial Users
Keith Drazek, Registry Stakeholder Group
Heather Dryden, Governmental Advisory Committee
Patrik Fältström, Security and Stability Advisory Committee
Byron Holland, Country Code Names Supporting Organization
Tony Holmes, Internet Service Providers, Commercial Stakeholder Group
Michele Neylon, Registrar Stakeholder Group
Jonathan Robinson, Generic Names Supporting Organization Council
Kristina Rosette, Intellectual Property, Commercial Stakeholder Group

Read more from Philip S. Corwin’s Post on CircleID