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<p class=MsoNormal>Dear all:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Robin asked me to do a first draft so here it is. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Comments must be filed by May 10<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>--------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The Noncommercial Users Constituency and Noncommercial
Stakeholders Group (NCSG) represents nearly 200 nonprofit organizations, public
interest advocacy groups, educators, researchers, philanthropic organizations
and individuals. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>NCUC and NCSG believe that ICANN has a very simple choice to
make in its handling of the .xxx domain. The board can accept the fact that
ICANN made serious mistakes in its handling of the matter and then make a good
faith effort to rectify those mistakes – or it can refuse to do so. That
is all there is to this decision. The complicated “process options”
offered by the general counsel are distractions. Either ICANN accepts the
determination of the independent review panel and creates the .xxx domain, or
it doesn’t. Those are the only “options” of relevance to the
community.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Noncommercial users believe that the board should accept the
decision of its independent review panel and prepare to add .xxx to the root.
Anything less will raise serious doubts about ICANN’s accountability
mechanisms and will undermine the legitimacy of the corporation and its
processes. The contract offered to ICM Registry should be based on the same
template as that offered to .mobi, .jobs and other contemporaneous applicants
for sponsored TLDs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Noncommercial stakeholders are deeply interested in the
outcome of the .xxx application for two reasons. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>1)<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span><![endif]>As supporters of improved accountability for ICANN, we
would be deeply concerned by a Board decision that ignored ICANN’s own
Independent Review process. The IRP is one of ICANN’s few external
accountability mechanisms. The .xxx case was the first test of that process. A
group of distinguished and neutral panelists reviewed the record of this case
in extensive detail, and decided against ICANN. It would be shocking if ICANN
chose to ignore or circumvent the requirements of the IRP decision. An appeals
process that has effect only when the board feels like complying is no
accountability mechanism at all. We also feel that failure to comply with the
IRP will encourage dispute settlement through litigation, which is not in the
interests of ICANN or its community.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoListParagraphCxSpLast style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span
style='mso-list:Ignore'>2)<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>
</span></span><![endif]>As advocates of civil liberties and freedom of
expression, we believe it is unacceptable for a TLD string to be rejected
simply because some people or some governments object to it. ICANN must not
become a tool of those who want to discourage or censor certain kinds of legal
content. We believe that ICANN should not be turning its coordination of top
level domain names into mechanisms of content regulation or censorship. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>To conclude, we ask the Board to look past the noise that
will surely be generated by any public discussion that touches on pornography. This
public comment period should not be a poll assessing the popularity of the .xxx
domain. The board must focus exclusively on compliance with its own appeals
process and strive to maintain ICANN’s integrity. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";
color:#1F497D'>Milton Mueller<br>
Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies<br>
XS4All Professor, Delft University of Technology<br>
------------------------------<br>
Internet Governance Project:<br>
<a href="http://internetgovernance.org"><span style='color:blue'>http://internetgovernance.org</span></a></span><span
style='font-family:"Courier New";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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