Previous Politech message: "House Commerce committee wants Bush admin to 'keep tabs' on ICANN" http://www.politechbot.com/p-03268.html
Also see CDT etc. letter on .us dated yesterday: http://www.cdt.org/dns/020429dotus.shtml --- http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/congress/2002/tauzinletter_42602.htm Below is the text of a letter dated April 26, 2002, sent from Commerce Secretary Don Evans to House Energy and Commerce Chairman W. J. "Billy" Tauzin. Secretary Evans sent the same letter to Representatives Dingell, Upton, Markey, and Shimkus. The Honorable W. J. "Billy" Tauzin Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your cosigned letter regarding the recent reform proposal put forward by the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Stable and sound management of the Internet domain name system (DNS) functions remains a top priority of the Department of Commerce. The Department has welcomed the call for reform of ICANN. We believe that ICANN needs to be an effective and focused organization. Reforms of the organization should ensure that ICANN can operate in a professional manner with the resources necessary to address the substantive issues of DNS management. Moreover, we support efforts to reform the organization in a manner that takes into account the views of Internet stakeholders. We view the proposal tabled by ICANN President Stuart Lynn as a starting point, not an ending point, for reform discussions. In this regard, we are pleased that at its recent meeting the ICANN Board of Directors took action to establish a process and a Committee on Evolution and Reform through which these important matters can be further considered and discussed by all stakeholders and the Internet community at large. The ICANN Board directed the Committee to produce recommendations for a framework for the structure and functioning of a reformed ICANN and a timetable for implementing that framework by May 31, 2002 (to be posted for public review and comment by that date), for consideration by the Board at its upcoming meeting in June. We understand that the Committee is charged specifically with addressing important matters such as public interest and stakeholder participation in decision making and the openness and effectiveness of the organization, among others. These were some of the areas of concern noted in your letter. Regarding your concerns over timing and the openness and transparency of the ICANN reform process, in addition to posting the recommendations of the Committee on Evolution and Reform for public comment by May 31, the process will be further considered at ICANN's open meeting in June after an opportunity for public participation and comment. I assure you that the Department is following the ICANN reform activities and process closely. My staff is consulting with U.S. business and public interest groups to garner their thoughts on reform. We are also meeting with our foreign government counterparts and international organizations to address how governments can best support the reform process. I would like to reiterate that the Department of Commerce's primary interest continues to be the stable and secure management of the global Internet domain system. We will approach any domestic and international discussions on ICANN's reform agenda with this objective in mind. Thank you for sharing your concerns with me on this matter. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me or Brenda Becker, Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, at (202) 482-3663. Warm regards, Donald L. Evans ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sign this pro-therapeutic cloning petition: http://www.franklinsociety.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------
