[ncdnhc-discuss] ICANN committee proposes membership "threshold" requirement, repe ats voting restrictions recommendations

[Chris Chiu]

In a draft implementation report, the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers' At-Large Study Committee suggested that ICANN's Board
should "appoint Directors to fill At-Large Board seat vacancies" unless a
minimum of 5000 people become ICANN At-Large members. In addition, the ALSC
repeated its recommendations that At-Large members should be forced to pay
fees as a prerequisite for voting, and that the number of publicly elected
At-Large Board seats should be reduced from 9 to 6. These pronouncements
came despite fierce criticism from various observers, who feared that such
measures would deter meaningful public participation in ICANN
decisionmaking. ICANN also issued a set of draft election guidelines
pursuant to the implement draft report and set up a forum to discuss these
changes, which may be adopted during ICANN's March 2002 meetings in Accra,
Ghana. However, the ALSC has hinted that the next round of At-Large
elections might not take place until 2003, and that the ICANN Board might
"need to take interim action to deal with replacement of at least some
current At-Large Directors in 2002." 

See
http://www.internetdemocracyproject.org/#highlights


Sincerely,
Christopher Chiu
Global Internet Liberty Campaign Organizer
American Civil Liberties Union