NPOC Q&A Document

[David Cake]

	So, the NPOC can articulate no point of difference between
itself and the NCUC in terms of who they represent, other than some
trends to policy disparity.

	The NPOCs entire existence appears predicated on the idea
that if two groups of essentially similar organisations have policy
differences, the only possible solution is to leap immediately to
forming a new Constituency. Has this ever happened in any other
group? Every successful constituency has been formed on the basis of
a structural similarity of the organisations operation within ICANN.
The NPOC is, quite clearly, a proposal to form form a second
constituency for exactly the same type of group as NCUC to cover
policy disparity.

	I certainly feel there are structural problems within ICANN
that make the proper articulation of public policy perspectives
difficult, as the Constituency silo system can force groups together
that have serious disagreements on policy. But this proposal seems to
dedicatedly aim at making those problems worse, not better, by
proposing that if two groups of the same type don't happen to share
policy positions they should be two separate oonstituencies.

	The solution to the  problems with the ICANN Constituency
silo system is not to just keep building more silos on slimmer and
slimmer grounds.

	The solution is groups that reach across silos, and a system
that doesn't assume everyone in the same constituency happens to
share a policy positions or interests just because they come from a
similar structural basis. That is what the NCSG push to move from
Constituencies to Interest Groups is about. The NPOC just seems to
demonstrate why Constituencies are a bad idea.

	Basically, it seems that the NPOC is a big sounding group
that serves a really small purpose - a home for people who would like
to be in the IPC but who should be in NCSG not CSG. There is a real
issue here - ATUG seems to be an example of a corresponding
organisation that would like to be in NCUC, but should be in CSG not
NCSG, and that same issue effects some other consumer organisations -
but making more and more Constituency silos isn't the answer.

	David