ICANN's Global Elections: On the Internet, For the Internet

A Study of the ICANN At-Large Elections by
Common Cause and the Center for Democracy and Technology

March 2000

Appendix II: Letter to the ICANN Board

February 4, 2000

Ms. Esther Dyson
Chairman of the Board
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

Dear Esther,

As you know, Common Cause and the Center for Democracy and Technology have together initiated a study of ICANN's At-Large Election structure, with support from the Markle Foundation. Based on our preliminary work and the input we are receiving from a broad range of interested parties, we are writing to urge you and the ICANN Board not to take any further irrevocable steps or decisions regarding the At-Large election until the Board's Cairo meeting.

The At-Large membership and election process is critical to ICANN's future. The decisions that ICANN makes with regard to this process may well determine whether ICANN will operate in a manner that is open, accountable and responsive to those affected by its decisions. Members of the ICANN community and outside observers have shared with us creative ideas and perspectives on both the potential problems with the At-Large process and possible remedies. While there is no apparent consensus on one grand solution, we have discovered significant concerns and questions, from a wide range of stakeholders, regarding whether the At-Large elections as now structured will fulfill the mission and public interest goals of ICANN.

Many of the interested parties we have spoken with, from across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, believe you should allow the ICANN community one more formal opportunity to discuss this very important issue, and we agree. To help facilitate this discussion, we intend to present our study to the ICANN community in advance of the March meeting in Cairo. Based on our review to date, we urge the ICANN Board of Directors and staff to be cautious to avoid, prior to the March meeting, irrevocable steps and decisions regarding the At-Large process, which might prevent potentially promising recommendations from being properly considered.

We realize the pressure you and the board face to hold these elections by September 30. We believe, however, that deferring any further final decisions until Cairo should not unduly impact that goal and is in the best long term interests of the ICANN community.

Please forward this letter to the ICANN Board, and we stand ready to discuss this with you at any time.

Sincerely,

Jerry Berman Scott Harshbarger
Executive Director President
Center for Democracy and Technology Common Cause

cc: Michael Roberts, President and Chief Executive Officer, ICANN

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