<div dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Dear Paul,</p>
<p dir="ltr">I haven't even so far heard of heritage foundation, nor have I done as much as an Internet search for Brett's profile</p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline">. What caught my eye was the phrase "soft-extension". In my own interpretation, independent of any details that the Heritage Foundation might imply by their thinking, the phrase "soft-extension", particularly the word "soft" could point to a solution to the lingering issues such as "GAC carve out". I have a feeling that the compromises reached within the Working Groups does not imply that the whole world has agreed. What occurred to me at this moment is that it may not be necessary to assume that ICANN is in a hurry to get the transition papers signed, not necessary to assume that the next Government would be completely against the idea of transition, and in the absence of these assumptions, it is wiser to get the accountability framework on such a path that would get even the most hostile quarters to be receptive.</div><p></p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline">Sivasubramanian M</div><br><p></p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline"><br></div><p></p><p dir="ltr"></p><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51);display:inline"></div> <p></p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On May 25, 2016 2:11 AM, "Paul Twomey" <<a href="mailto:paul.twomey@argopacific.com" target="_blank">paul.twomey@argopacific.com</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p>My only comment would be - be careful about propositions from
Think Tanks etc. In my experience, there is normally a
commercial interest behind the think tank's words. I always think
it is useful to ask - what US corporation is pushing this line?<br>
</p><div>
<br>
<div>On 5/25/16 6:07 AM, Sivasubramanian M
wrote:<br>
</div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Halfway
through watching the webcast, yet to read the written
testimonies in full, this caught my attention:</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">The
Heritage Foundation's Brett Shaefer: <i>A soft extension of
the current contract for
a reasonable period of time would allow the community and
ICANN to take the new mechanisms for a
sustained test drive to verify to the Internet community
that relies on ICANN that they are working as
envisioned. This would not derail the progress made by the
ICG or the CCWG because the ICANN board
has confirmed that virtually all of the recommended changes,
including the new accountability
improvements and the EC, would be adopted and implemented
whether the transition proceeds or not. It
would therefore be prudent to maintain U.S. oversight, or at
least a means for reasserting NTIA oversight,
for the next two years until the new structure proves itself
and the details of Work Stream 2 are fully
developed and their implications understood.</i></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">The
text of Brett Shaefer's 'soft extension' suggestion "<i>to
maintain U.S. oversight, or at least a means for reasserting
NTIA oversight"</i>, does not sound soft enough.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Nor
was the posture of Steve DelBianco (52:00): ... GAC gets one
vote, "but when it comes it challenging decisions that arise
out of Government advice, we drew the line ... the US
Government role can block Government advice. When the Board
of ICANN wants to act on Government advice and the Community
wishes to challenge that advice, we can't allow Governments to
block our ability to challenge it, we carve them out, we
exclude the Governments from having a vote... On Net, we have
cabined off the Government power..." That would have
impressed the US Senate, but at least a few other Governments
wouldn't have liked it. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Steve
Delbianco's response to Heritage (57:00) was to say that it
would be a slap on the face of the Community that has worked
so hard, and has produced a proposal is well balanced. "The
powers that the community has are extraordinary powers. We
would only invoke our powers to block a budget, block a bylaw
[change], or spill the Board if the Board acted in a
completely inappropriate way" There is no coverage provided by
the United States better than the coverage provided by the
California courts, community's powers to go to courts in
California, to force the Board to follow the Community's
Consensus... What we have designed gives the Community, for
the first time ever, the power to go to Court in California,
to force the Board to follow the Community's consensus, to
spill the Board, if that is our Consensus, to overturn the
Budget if the Community doesn't support. That is the kind of
back-stop we need, and we have it in California courts"</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Very
powerful argument, but what is "Community" in ICANN today?
What is the power dynamics? and, What does that transition
proposal contain that is enough to offer hope that the
Community would be well balanced post-transition? In terms of
the Community's powers to go to California court, will the
Community have a Reserve for legal expenses, who really gets
to decide what issues merit legal action? If there are no
Community funds to take any issue to Court, which participants
of the Community would fund the lawsuit, and what influences
would such participants exercise in the decisions to earmark
or escalate an issue for legal action? In a scenario not
altogether unlikely, if the "Community" is willing to spend
ten times as much as the Board's available legal defense
Budget, the Board would be constantly under threat of
lawsuits. </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Even
while continuing to be in the California Jurisdiction, the
Accountability design requires to be one that would move ICANN
governance as farther away from California Courts as possible.
Could there be an Accountability design that could take ICANN
governance away from lawyers (no disrespect intended) but
towards a balanced and inherently just framework? Could there
be a "soft enough" or "loose" oversight/observation by the
NTIA at least until Workstream 2 and other Accountability
processes place together such a self-contained framework for
global public interest?</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">In
many ways, a soft interim role for the US Government, or a
short delay would actually ensure that the transition details
are gracefully accepted by the whole world.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)">Sivasubramanian
M</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(51,51,51)"> </div>
-- <br>
<div>
<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sivasubramanian.muthusamy" target="_blank">Sivasubramanian M</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
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<pre cols="72">--
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