[CCWG-ACCT] GAO meeting request

Mon Mar 30 12:10:37 UTC 2015

Hi Mathieu,

Thanks for sharing this request with us.

I'm not particularly comfortable with placing you, Thomas and Leon in the
position of representing the CCWG before a Congressional agency. I would
simply direct the agency to our transcripts, recordings and documents, all
online, should they want information about our activities. If after looking
at these materials the G.A.O. has further questions they should feel free
to submit them in writing and as a group we can chose how to respond and
vet the responses together before sending them back to Congress.

My reluctance to fully comply with the GAO request, as proffered, is
largely based upon the following reasons:

1. We're not a traditional heirarchical based organisation where chairs
speak and direct the group. Rather it's the other way around. We all know
this, you all know this, I'm not sure an outside organisation such as the
GAO really would understand this to the extent necessary. I would hate to
see your views be reinterpreted as representative of the entire groups as
the GAO processes your interviews;

2. In the best of situations when interviewed by professionals folks
occasionally misspeak. I don't believe that either yourself, Thomas or Leon
are native English speakers. Word choice is sometimes a problem among non
native speakers - I know it is for me when I converse in one of my
secondary languages.. We saw this a bit in Istanbul where on occasion
clarifications had to be made from the head table because the language used
in presenting information was not precise and led to misinterpretations by
some. I don't mean to be critical of the linguistic capability of our
leadership trio - Leon, in particular, has an English language ability that
surpasses my own. It's just in this highly politicised world I would hate
for a moment of "misspeak" to be twisted or interpreted in a way it was not
intended.

3. Politics. In a bygone era the G.A.O. truly was an independent
nonpartisan research branch of Congress. I still want to believe it largely
is. Sadly, with greater frequency the G.A.O. has been accused by some  of
being a bit more partisan in its research. I would hate to see anything
said by the C.C.W.G. leadership used in a political manner by those charged
with this investigation.

If, despite the foregoing, it is decided that it is in the best interest of
all to go forward with the interview I would respectfully suggest the
following:

1. It be made clear to the investigators that yourself, Thomas and Leon are
speaking for yourselves and not for the group as a whole during your
interview, and

2. Prior to agreeing to do so you confer with our independent counsel as to
their views and advice on the matter.

None of the foregoing should in any way be interpreted as anything critical
of our fine co-chairs. It's just that he environment, poisoned a bit by Mr.
Chehade's less than positive characterisation of the CWG leadership and
work, is one in which I believe that caution is advised.

Kind Regards,

Ed Morris

On Mon, Mar 30, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Mathieu Weill <mathieu.weill at afnic.fr>
wrote:

>  Dear Colleagues,
>
> For your information, the US Governement Accountability Office has
> requested a teleconference with the co-chairs of the CCWG. Tentative date
> is currently discussed for next week (7 or 8 April).
>
> Your inputs are welcome.
>
> Best regards,
> Thomas Rickert, Leon Felipe Sanchez, Mathieu Weill
>
>
> -------- Message transféré --------  Sujet : April 1, 2, or 3 Meeting
> Request CCWG-Accountability Chairs  Date : Thu, 26 Mar 2015 17:45:11 +0000  De :
> Healey, John C <HealeyJ at GAO.GOV> <HealeyJ at GAO.GOV>  Pour : '
> rickert at anwaelte.de' <rickert at anwaelte.de> <rickert at anwaelte.de>, '
> mathieu.weill at afnic.fr' <mathieu.weill at afnic.fr> <mathieu.weill at afnic.fr>,
> 'leonfelipe at sanchez.mx' <leonfelipe at sanchez.mx> <leonfelipe at sanchez.mx>
>
>  Good day, Mr. Rickert, Mr. Sanchez Ambia, and Mr. Weill:
>
> You may recall meeting my colleagues, Derrick Collins, Alwynne Wilbur, and
> Kate Perl at the ICANN meeting in Singapore in February.
>
> At any rate, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been asked by
> the Chairs of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its
> Communications and Technology Subcommittee to review the National
> Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) proposed
> transition of  key Internet domain name functions to the global
> multistakeholder community. We are meeting with knowledgeable people and
> organizations to gather information for our work.
>
> We would like to meet with you via teleconference to discuss the proposed
> transition from the perspective of the Accountability working group. We
> have provided a list of questions, below, to give you a better idea of the
> topics we want to discuss with you, and I’ll provide a teleconference line
> after confirming your availability (please “reply all” so that others can
> know of your availability). In addition to the discussion, we would also
> welcome written responses.
>
> Would you be available for a one-hour time slot during one of the
> following blocks?
>
>    - Wednesday, April 1st: 10:00 – 11:00 EST
>    - Thursday, April 2nd: 11:00 – 12:00 EST
>    - Friday, April 3rd: 10:00 – 11:00 EST
>
>
>  We would also like to meet with Steve DelBianco and Cheryl Langdon-Orr
> to discuss their work with the Stress Test Work Party. Please let me know
> if you’d like to be part of that meeting, too.
>
> Thank you,
>
> John
>
>
> John Healey, Senior Analyst
> Physical Infrastructure Team
> U.S. Government Accountability Office
> 441 G Street NW, Washington DC, 20548
> (202) 512-5006   |   HealeyJ at gao.gov
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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