Larry Strickling Et Al: Internet Governance in a Post-American World (video)

Passing the Torch: How Will Internet Governance Change in a Post-American World? - "How the Internet is governed will change significantly in the year ahead, as the U.S. government anticipates relinquishing its oversight of key technical functions to ICANN and China launches a competing institution to encourage greater state control of the Internet. This creates significant uncertainty and raises important questions for stakeholders around the world. Does ICANN have the institutional capacity and leadership ability to take on its new role? How will the rapidly changing environment impact Internet policy in coming years? And who will be the biggest winners and losers?" Streamed LIVE on March 17, 2016. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), Washington D.C. -- Domain Name: itif.org

Comments from the panel: 

Zuck: "The [multistakeholder] process is an ugly process ... the fact that everyone is dissatisfied with this [IANA Transition & ICANN Accountability] proposal is a testament to its success ... there is no one that is happy with everything in this proposal"

Sheckler: "The Devil is in the Details"

Panelists:
Lawrence E. Strickling
Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and Administrator
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Speaker

Daniel Castro
Vice President
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Moderator

Jamie Hedlund
Vice President, Strategic Programs, Global Domain Division
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Presenter

Victoria Sheckler
Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Presenter

Chris Wilson
Vice President, Government Affairs
21st Century Fox Corporation
Presenter

Jonathan Zuck
President
ACT | The App Association
Presenter


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DISCLAIMER

Internet Governance, ICANN, IANA Transition, Congress .SUCKS (video)

Domain Mondo reviewer: If you can tune out everything that comes out of the mouths of Nevett, Thrush, and Hedlund--none of whom are credible, in my opinion--and focus on Mueller's and Miller's comments, this may be a video worth watching if you follow Internet governance issues. Congrats to Professor Mueller on his upcoming move to Georgia Tech (which he announces on the video). Note the following--

• New York Times (2012): "Eyebrows were raised last year when Peter Dengate Thrush, former chairman of ICANN and a fan of the domain name expansion [new gTLDs] joined a company that invests in domain names."
• Peter Dengate Thrush - ICANNWiki: "Mr. Dengate Thrush left ICANN [as Chairman of the ICANN Board of Directors] in June, 2011, about a month later it was announced that he was joining Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd. as its Executive Chairman. Top Level Domain Holdings Limited is the parent company of Minds + Machines. The move was greeted by ... allegations of misconduct, given the move from approving new gTLDs to effectively selling them... his detractors claim that he compromised ICANN's integrity via a conflict of interest." (emphasis added)

• "We think of the new TLDs almost like vanity license plates."-- Jon Nevett, Donuts co-founder and executive vice president of corporate affairs.

Thrush and Nevett--what a pair! Throw in ICANN apologist Jamie Hedlund, and you've got a real threesome there.  Couldn't the Advisory Committee to the Congressional Internet Caucus get a higher quality panel?

Internet Governance, ICANN and Congress.Sucks: Where is Control of the Internet Going? Presented by the Advisory Committee to the Congressional Internet Caucus, Washington D.C., on June 5, 2015. Internet Governance, ICANN, and Congress, the IANA stewardship transition and dot SUCKS and other new gTLDs--the panel below discussed the latest developments in the international drama that is Internet governance--the U.S. government’s decision (NTIA) to transition its historic stewardship role to the global multistakeholder community, which involves control of key Internet functions performed by ICANN, the enhancing ICANN accountability process now underway, attempts by international organizations such as the U.N. to exert greater control over Internet decisions in fora like WSIS+10, and numerous ICANN controversies such as the .SUCKS domain names controversy.

Panel of Speakers:

• Jamie Hedlund, Vice President, Strategic Programs, Global Domain Division, ICANN (Bio)
• Michelle Sara King, President & CEO, King Consults (Bio)
• Cheryl Miller, Director, International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Verizon
• Milton Mueller, Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies (Bio)
• Jon Nevett, Co-Founder & EVP, Donuts Inc. (Bio)
• Peter Dengate Thrush, former Chairman of the Board of Directors, ICANN (Bio)
• Sally Shipman Wentworth, Vice President of Global Policy Development, Internet Society (Bio) moderator

NetCaucus | Internet Education Foundation


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ICANN VP Says Expect IANA Transition Plan By March or Earlier!

POLITICO.com: "LOOK FOR AN IANA TRANSITION PROPOSAL BY MARCH -- A working group that's developing a proposal to transition U.S. oversight of ICANN will likely have a document by March or earlier, according to ICANN adviser [and VP] Jamie Hedlund. It's slower going in a separate process aimed at increasing accountability at the nonprofit Web management group, Hedlund and others at yesterday's Chamber of Commerce event said . . . "

No surprise here--Domain Mondo said this whole IANA Transition thing was a "done deal" months ago: IANA Transition a Waste of Time, Decision Has Already Been Made. After all, Google and Vint Cerf said as much in a YouTube video published in July.

On the other hand, Kieren McCarthy reports that some Republicans (Congressman Mike Kelly et al) might have a different idea consisting of of real oversight of ICANN and real separation of the IANA functions from ICANN dysfunctionality. Kelly's bill (pdf).

From Kelly's press release: Rep. Kelly Introduces Defending Internet Freedom Act of 2014 | Congressman Mike Kelly: "U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – issued the following statement today after introducing H.R. 5737, the Defending Internet Freedom Act of 2014. The legislation would prevent the Obama administration, or that of any future president, from relinquishing the critical functions of the Internet – currently stewarded by the United States – to any other entity without enhanced congressional oversight and until explicit, freedom-protecting requirements are met. It is being co-sponsored by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), who also serves as chairman and co-founder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus..."


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