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At 05:27 AM 12/16/2015, Bruce Tonkin wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">We had recommended splitting the
text into a simple mission statement followed by a scope of
responsibility.<br><br>
The Mission Statement should be a short and simple statement that conveys
what ICANN's purpose is and relates to the specific sector of activities
in which ICANN operates.</blockquote><br>
Short and simple is always a good goal. But the problem is that the
Mission Statement has to serve as an ENFORCEABLE limitation on ICANN's
powers. It is the primary backstop that will ensure that ICANN does
not stray into areas that it should not be in. If it is too
"short and simple" it cannot serve that function at all, and we
will be left with an entity that can do whatever it wants to do.<br><br>
To illustrate the point, why not make this the Mission Statement:
"ICANN shall help coordinate Domain Name System
operations"?? Short, simple, and accurate. <br>
But that Mission that will not be effective as an enforceable limitation
on ICANN's powers, because just about anything it chooses to do it can be
seen as "reasonably appropriate" for THIS mission.
<br><br>
Not to repeat myself, but the CCWG Mission Statement embodied two
principles which the Board would apparently like to see eliminated:
the "picket fence" and the requirement for consensus
policy-making. I may have missed it, but I don't recall
seeing (a) any good reason they should both be eliminated, or (b) any
substitute language the Board is proposing that would similarly
incorporate these two principles into the corporation's
structure.<br><br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">BT: "Scope of
Responsibilities: The Board suggests that the purpose of this
section is to define ICANN's current scope of responsibilities within its
Mission and in service to its Mission. It should describe what ICANN
does, not how it does it, and must not change ICANN's existing role
because that would have consequences for ICANN's operations, commitments,
and responsibility to the Community."</blockquote><br>
What is the point of doing this ? What good does it do - as a means
of constraining ICANN's exercise of its powers in the future -- to say,
as the Board proposal says, that <br><br>
"ICANN coordinates the allocation and assignment of names in the
root zone of the DNS ..., and coordinates the operation and evolution of
the DNS root name server system, ... and coordinates the allocation and
assignment at the top--most level of IP and AS numbers ..., and
collaborates with other bodies as appropriate to publish core registries
..."? <br><br>
What's the point of that? I would note that under the Board's
proposal, ICANN would not even be bound to comply with that Statement of
Responsibilities; the promise is just to act "in accordance with and
only as reasonably appropriate <i>for the Mission</i>," which does
not include the Statement of Responsibilities. Not that that would
do much good, in any event - the responsibilities are so generally
phrased ("coordinate" and "collaborate") that they
can't really serve as useful limitations on anything the corporation
decides to do. <br><br>
Nor does the Board intend for this to be an <i>exclusive </i>list of
ICANN's responsibities - that is, there's nothing (unless I'm just
missing it) that says that ICANN can't take on <i>other
</i>"responsibilities" in the future.<br><br>
I still fail to see how the Board's comments and the CCWG proposal can be
reconciled - or more importantly why they <i>should </i>be
reconciled.<br><br>
David<br><br>
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