[Npoc-discuss] Creating an NGO for NPOC in Estonia

[Sam Lanfranco]

Here I offer my one shot, two cents of food for thought about this undertaking. While it may be useful to insert, for the time being, the Mission and Vision of NPOC, that is not a substitute for a clear Mission and Vision statement of the proposed Association (whatever it is called -e.g. Friends of NPOC <= not suggested).

The need for a clear Association Mission and Vision flows,  in my opinion, from the following issue. In the increasingly important area of Internet Governance ICANN is hell-bent to put a ring fence around what it does and is concerned with. It is promoting the idea of Technical Internet Governance (TIG) as a distinct and limited subset of Internet Governance (IG). What ICANN’s role is in IG itself, as an Internet ecosystem stakeholder, is not at all clear.

The NGO and civil society community are trying to figure out where they stand, and more importantly what they can do, in the broader areas of Internet Governance. That poses a considerable challenge to any proposed Association that wishes to actively engage the Internet ecosystem’s NGO/civil society constituency to focus on DNS matters. As they face a myriad of Internet ecosystem and Governance challenges what sort of Mission/Vision Statement and Association strategy will attract them to membership and engagement in a DNS focused Association? A clear “Friends of NPOC” focused Mission/Vision Statement is unlikely to attract members, and an Associating with few active members is unlikely to have a meaningful impact or secure a sustainable financial base.

Putting my business consulting hat on for a moment, had NPOC been a client I would have suggested that it consider its situation in the following way. Broader Internet ecosystem and Governance issues are on the table. NPOC’s position within ICANN constrains it to dealing only with DNS issues. NPOC needs to look beyond that constraint, so that it can address broader Internet ecosystem and Governance issues, doing so either alone or in collaboration with an existing group.

Rather than putting up its own ring fence and limiting an Association to DNS, NPOC’s constituencies need to jump outside that ring fence in any Association build and look for collaboration and engagement with others in dealing with Internet ecosystem and Governance issues. The action is outside the fence. Convincing NGO/civil society interests to primarily focus inside the fence is not a winning strategy.

My two cents of food for thought.

Sam Lanfranco

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