________________________________________________________________________________ Subject: FC: More ICANN sparring? No, it's just policy theater... Date: Thu, 17 Jun 1999 00:01:52 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu ********** Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 19:49:38 -0700 From: Steve Schear Subject: ICANN theater The continuing sparting match between ICANN and its doubters added another pair Ralph Nader and James Love (Consumer Project on Technology, http://www.cptech.org). John Young has generously agreed to make available copies of a letter from Ralph and James to Esther Dyson, ICANN's Interim Chairman and Ms. Dyson's reply. However the real bonus is an anonymous parody of ICANN and the major players. And now the curtain raises. Please give a warm hand for the ICANN Theater Troupe. http://jya.com/icann-ed.htm --Steve ********* Date: Wed, 16 Jun 1999 12:03:24 -0400 From: Milton Mueller Reply-To: mueller@syr.edu There are profound questions about the nature of ICANN's mandate and the scope of Internet governance that need to be addressed. I personally am extremely tired of ICANN hiding behind the "evil NSI" to avoid dealing with those questions. It reminds me of the Cold War in the US, when anyone who questioned US foreign policy was accused of being an unpatriotic agent of the Soviet Union, and the "communist threat" was used to justify any atrocities the US military chose to support. We cannot have a rational conversation about Internet governance in this way. It is ridiculous and offensive to say that anyone who questions ICANN's expanding powers is an agent of NSI. ICANN's claim that this is all about competition with NSI seems particularly weak now. Dot com is being opened up. In fact, there was nothing terribly complicated about opening up dot com to competition, and we didn't need ICANN to do it. The US Commerce Dept NTIA negotiated the contractual arrangements with NSI that allow new registrars access to the registry at a fixed, regulated price. Big deal. That's basically over. ICANN was a fifth wheel in that process. There are many bigger questions about the scope of dispute resolution, ICANN's attempt to create a highly regulatory contract with registrars, ICANN's financing, the linkage of domain name registration to trademark enforcement, the delegation of ccTLDs, the behind-the scenes influence of governments via GAC--all this has very little to do with NSI. But it vitally affects the rights and interests of everyone on the Internet. mkhoo@singnet.com.sg wrote: > This NEWS.COM (http://www.news.com/) story has been sent to you from mkhoo@singnet.com.sg. > > NSI-ICANN fight threatens Net growth > By Courtney Macavinta > June 15, 1999, 1:15 p.m. PT > http://www.news.com/News/Item/0%2C4%2C37856%2C00.html?sas.mail > > In a highly public political slap, the nonprofit organization in charge of the Net's technical underpinnings today accused Network Solutions of souring efforts to create competition in the lucrative domain name registration market. > > Esther Dyson, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' interim chair, led the attack in response to a letter from Ralph Nader's Consumer Project on Technology, which questioned ICANN's authority and tactics. ================================================================================ Subject: FC: House Commerce likely to hold ICANN hearings; anti-ICANN letters Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 09:02:35 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh To: politech@vorlon.mit.edu [Attached is the letter from Americans for Tax Reform (atr.org) on ICANN that is scheduled to go out today to House Commerce committee members. --Declan] ********* http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20293.html ICANN Too Tax You by Declan McCullagh 3:00 a.m. 18.Jun.99.PDT WASHINGTON -- The controversial organization created to manage Internet domain names likely will be the subject of a House committee hearing designed to investigate whether it is making decisions behind closed doors that could harm US consumers. Tax and government watchdog groups are sending letters Friday clamoring for action, arguing that Congress should investigate fees the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is planning to charge anyone with a dot com domain name. "We have the potential for a fledgling regulatory entity that's already showing signs of being somewhat secretive and top-down in its management style," said Leslie Paige, vice president of Citizens Against Government Waste. "Before they get the power and make some permanent decisions, let's get some questions answered. The public has a huge stake in this." [...remainder snipped...] ************ June 17, 1999 Dear Member, Americans for Tax Reform is dedicated to opposing all tax increases as a matter of principle. The government^Òs, the only entity that may legally assess a tax, power to control one^Òs life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized. Nothing could be more damaging to our guaranteed liberties as U.S. citizens than to have our government taxing and regulating individuals without representation. Recently, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) imposed a taxation requirement on every person that registers a domain name. This illegal tax will be repealed by the passage of HR 749, sponsored by Congressman Terry and S 705, sponsored by Senator John Ashcroft. However, passage of this legislation will only address one element of the harm that ICANN has begun to inflict. A much larger concern is, the legitimacy of the creation of ICANN in the first place. This entity's legitimacy, organized as a private non-profit corporation that answers to the Commerce Department, is questionable. One is left to wonder how this organization can have powers greater than the government, such as imposing taxes without the approval of a legislative body, simply by answering to a government agency. Further, my understanding is that this organization has expressly threatened the existence of a successful technology company, Network Solutions, Inc.(NSI). Of course, ICANN has provided an alternative -- surrendering all intellectual property rights to ICANN and giving ICANN the permission to effectively put NSI out of business on 15 days notice. Taxation without representation, onerous regulation of the engine of our continued economic expansion, deprivation of a private citizen's right to own property, and exercising seeming governmental powers ICANN^Òs operations must be examined. On behalf of the taxpayer's movement, as represented by the Americans for Tax Reform, I call on you to seek the appropriate oversight hearings. If ICANN's defenders are correct then the hearings will prove their actions justified. If the taxpayers are correct then ICANN must be stopped as scheme of the Commerce Department to hinder competition and deprive individuals of Constitutional liberties. Indeed, oversight hearings may be the only way to ever discover exactly what this organization is attempting in cooperation with the Commerce Department. While ICANN continues to act as a governmental entity none of its decisions, meetings or directors are subject to sunshine laws. Further, ICANN has refused to hold open board meetings, or explain how the Board was chosen. Yet, ICANN operates with international academics and business executives serving as board members who are acting to put NSI, an American company out of business. I look forward to discussing this issue with you at your convenience. If you need any further information please do not hesitate to contact me, or Bartlett Cleland of my staff. Onward, Grover G. Norquist *********** ================================================================================ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology To subscribe: send a message to majordomo@vorlon.mit.edu with this text: subscribe politech More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________ no copyright 1999 rolux.org - no commercial use without permission. is a moderated mailing list for the advancement of minor criticism. more information: mail to: majordomo@rolux.org, subject line: , message body: info. further questions: mail to: rolux-owner@rolux.org. archive: http://www.rolux.org