Re: un backing itu iahc etc . etc.

[Michael Dillon <michael@memra.com>]

On Sun, 17 Nov 1996, Tony Rutkowski wrote:

> >(there is quite a difference between ITU and ITU employees
> > (or ITU elected officials for that matter))
> 
> This is a critical point here for likely all the participants.
> They are not representing their organizations - certainly not the
> ITU which is an intergovernmental organization - but involved
> as individuals in some personal capacity in much the same way
> as they would participate in the IEEE.

This doesn't sound quite right. Certain IAHC members were appointed 
by ITU, WIPO, and INTA which would suggest that those organizations
sanction the activities of the IAHC and to some extent the appointees
of those organizations are there to represent the interests of the
organization. Obviously this does not mean that the IAHC is producing
work that is equivalent to an ITU committee, however it does appear that
the IAHC work is something that those organizations support.

> Yet, their involvement is being used as a devise to suggest this
> committee is some kind of supranational organization or enjoys
> some kind of special powers beyond merely being several good people
> looking at the problem.  This chimera, for example, is carried out
> on the IANC home page.

I don't see anything of the sort on their home page. And the name
"ad hoc" committee suggests otherwise. 

> It's time to move away from the charade mode and start dealing with
> issues and options - one of which may be that the existing arrangements
> are satisfactory for the near future - or any of a broad array of
> choices together with a lot of other constitutencies and parties that 
> are not represented here.

Quite frankly Tony, the choices are quite clear and there are two.
One is to support the work of the IAHC which is working towards a 
compromise solution. As you Americans are now discovering in Bosnia,
such peacemakers are often vilified by all the factions they are trying
to help. The alternate solution, of course, is war. Your concept of
a council of corporations running the worlds domain name registries
cannot succeed as long as there are strong forces opposed to them
like the Alternic and related groups. As long as neither faction pushes
too hard the peacemakers will find a compromise that will work reasonably
well for everyone. 


Michael Dillon                   -               ISP & Internet Consulting
Memra Software Inc.              -                  Fax: +1-604-546-3049
http://www.memra.com             -               E-mail: michael@memra.com