[CCWG-ACCT] Proposed Agenda CCWG ACCT Meeting - 12 July 2016 @ 20:00 UTC

[John Curran]

On Jul 14, 2016, at 4:11 AM, Christopher Wilkinson <lists at christopherwilkinson.eu> wrote:
> 
> Good morning:		Which revenue stream does CCWG use to finance its independent counsel?

Christopher - 

In a world where the Internet [names, numbers, protocol] identifier communities
were clear and distinct organizations which contracted with ICANN for operation
of the IANA registry services (and/or for facilitation for their policy development 
processes if they so choose), then ICANN’s revenue stream would consist 
predominantly of the service fees from providing those functions.   In such a
situation, it would quite reasonable for the respective communities to fund the
independent legal counsel expenses that might result from an accountability
review process. 

However, the world in which we presently operate appears to have ICANN 
serving as the structure by which the names community comes together and
is represented, and it is the very accountability of this representation that is 
under review and requires independent legal counsel.  It would be prudent 
for ICANN (as the structure by which the names community comes together
and is represented) to figure out an appropriate way to fund the independent
counsel expenses, as the inability to so do would only serve as prima facie 
evidence of failure to adequately represent that community.

/John

Disclaimers: my views alone - Accountability CCWG individual participant