[CCWG-ACCT] NTIA Report

[Andrew Sullivan]

Hi,

On Fri, Jun 10, 2016 at 12:08:37AM +0200, Thomas Rickert wrote:

> diligently by different agencies and experts. Now we can truly say
> that it was not just „us" thinking what we came up with is a good
> quality work product, but we got confirmation from experts not
> previously engaged in the process. I hope this helps to remove
> remaining concerns there might be that the transition could put
> ICANN and the operation of the IANA functions at risk.

I think this is a super-important part of what we should take from the
report, and I thank Thomas for highlighting it.

The report, over and over, makes the point that community-driven
processes and effective community oversight are the ultimate
guarantors of responsibility.  In a network of networks, which is by
its very nature voluntary, the only way to ensure continued
interoperation, health, and growth is to make sure that all the
voluntary participants believe that they get something from joining or
sticking around.  This is the deep magic of internetworking: it only
happens if we all do it.  If someone tries to take it over it ends.

What is wonderful to me in the report is the acknowledgement by people
who (it appears) normally work with other situations (companies and so
on) that the unusual nature of internetworking requires unusual
management.  People not normally adjusted to "Internet ways" thought
about this, and recognized that an essentially voluntary system is
unamenable to central control, or to capture, or to coercion.  Their
analysis provides the basic rebuke to those who think anyone might be
"giving up" control.  The control was always, and remains, a myth.

I know that some people look at our ways -- of doing things in public,
and of multiple plan revisions that seem to lurch from one extreme to
the other -- and find them chaotic and naïve.  They are wrong.  Our
ways produce results faster, with greater legitimacy, than another way
would for this kind of technology.  We may be messy, but we deliver.
I shall be forever grateful to have seen this report on our collective
work.  I shall be forever mindful of how the crucible of disagreement
allowed us to find the pure element of collaborative success.

Best regards,

A

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
ajs at anvilwalrusden.com