Hi, Ben:
Thank you for clarifying how web-based submissions will be handled for the
ICANN/Berlin meeting. I hope that you didn't read into my remarks any
criticsm of the Berkman Center's participation. I meant none and welcome
the technical facilitation that you and Berkman are providing for the ICANN
meeting.
The people who can afford to go to Berlin represent barely an iota of the
community that will be affected by ICANN's decisions. ICANN itself could
be more supportive of your effort by not merely advising people to "Come to
Berlin" -- yeah, right -- but by noting the online alternative in the same
breath.
Perhaps in the future, the quarterly ICANN meeting will be spread out at
several sites--electronic town hall style--with a board member presiding
over each location. That would truly open up this process and disburse the
opportunity for partipation that isn't prohibitively expensive.
>I'm genuinely a fan of remote participation.
>But I've personally been disappointed in the past by the exceptionally low
>number of remote comments received.
One reason for the limited remote participation, other than the punishing
time of morning for those in the U.S., is the pervasive feeling that the
course of events is already set, un fait accompli. It's exhausting and
disheartening that we have to expend so much time and effort to try and get
these nine board members to recognize their moral obligation to the
Internet community -- to hold open board meetings, to be accountable for
their decisionmaking, and to honor their own bylaws and withhold any policy
making until fully formed supporting organizations can give careful
consideration to the complex issues.
Ellen Rony Co-author
The Domain Name Handbook ____ http://www.domainhandbook.com
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