From: <pmonett@sharok.net>
To: <DNSTransition@ntia.doc.gov>
Date: Mon, Jul 3, 2006 1:18 PM
Subject: How should the internet be run ?

Before answering this question, one must have a good idea of what the
Internet actually is. Currently, the Internet is the world's most
important communication medium. There are very few countries that do not
have any access to the Internet, but the number of countries that have a
good level of access is still low. Bearing that in mind, there are
nonetheless tens of millions of people that do have access to the Internet
all over the world. The USA may have invented the Internet, but the wise
people who did invent it created an open system, a system that has now
evolved beyond the control of any one country.

Yet, this open system is being hamstrung by a select number of authorities
who are strongly percieved to be under direct White House rule. ICANN is
one such structure who has proven over the years to not even respect its
own rules, not to mention the most basic rules of fairness and
objectivity. Unfortunately, ICANN is a very important structure, one that
defines the overall possibilities. To have such an important office
brazenly corrupt and steadfastly ignorant of the opinion of the rest of
the world is not a good thing.

ICANN can remain in US stewardship only so long before the rest of the
world awakens to the the fact that it does not actually need US servers
and domain routers. The Internet being the open infrastructure that it is,
new domain routers can be put in service, more pipes can be laid and the
world can effectively cut off the US from deciding things, technically and
in reality. I sincerely hope that things will not come to this, since,
before getting to that point, the very useability of the Internet as a
whole will greatly suffer.

Besides, such an important infrastructure needs a supervising body. But,
since the Internet concerns the whole planet, the whole planet should be
represented in some way. Maybe we could have Continental Supervisors at
the head of ICANN. Instead of one American, indentured to the White House
(with all the negative connotations that the situation implies), we could
have seven people, each one attuned to the needs of his Continent. Along
with transparency of debate and decision, the Continental Supervisors
should each remain on his own Continent. After all, visioconferences are a
reality today, why not use them ? For the rest of the discussions, forums
and such would be good enough for most areas of import, especially for an
organization that is supposed to be transparent and public.

Therefor, my essential suggestion is this : remove White House influence
on the ICANN, remove the current officials and most importantly the acting
President of ICANN, and replace the whole things with a public body that
is physically seperated and must rely on the very structure that it is
supposed to organize. I believe that will alleviate much of the issues
that are percieved today, as well as removing all possibilities of having
ICANN act with such rampant abandon for its own procedures.

Sincerely yours,

Pascal Monett