I don't know if you've been watching the "discussion" going on right now on the IETF mailing list - the thread begins about here.
In that discussion, and one has to remember the audience, ICANN's Chairman and a few others are trying to dispell the notion that ICANN is obligated under its MoU to exert more than friendly, non-binding suggestion in the direction of the DNS root server operators and IP address registries.
ICANN is dancing as fast as it can to try to tell governments and businesses that ICANN "ensures" the stability of not merely DNS registries/registrars but also of IP address allocations and root server operations. At the same time ICANN is dancing as fast as it can to reassure the root server operators and IP address registries that they are independent of ICANN and that ICANN possesses no power to impose requirements or policies upon them.
Those two positions are more than simply inconsistent; they are direct contradictions.
ICANN's board should adopt a resolution declaring clearly and without equivocation whether ICANN believes its bylaws and the MoU obligate it to be in control of DNS root server operation and IP address allocation or whether ICANN considers itself nothing more than a mere kibitzer in these matters.
I don't know if you've been watching the "discussion" going on right now on the IETF mailing list - the thread begins about here.
In that discussion, and one has to remember the audience, ICANN's Chairman and a few others are trying to dispell the notion that ICANN is obligated under its MoU to exert more than friendly, non-binding suggestion in the direction of the DNS root server operators and IP address registries.
ICANN is dancing as fast as it can to try to tell governments and businesses that ICANN "ensures" the stability of not merely DNS registries/registrars but also of IP address allocations and root server operations. At the same time ICANN is dancing as fast as it can to reassure the root server operators and IP address registries that they are independent of ICANN and that ICANN possesses no power to impose requirements or policies upon them.
Those two positions are more than simply inconsistent; they are direct contradictions.
ICANN's board should adopt a resolution declaring clearly and without equivocation whether ICANN believes its bylaws and the MoU obligate it to be in control of DNS root server operation and IP address allocation or whether ICANN considers itself nothing more than a mere kibitzer in these matters.