Page History
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answersSee APRALO question N° 1.
Pierre Dandjinou
I have no plan as such to deal with the ‘culture of Secrecy’ in ICANN. But I do hope I could work toward more transparency and accountability as I think this is key to maintaining that multistakeholder structure of the ICANN. The board should be in a position to design new mechanisms for promoting more accountability and transparency. The ATRT has listed a few recommendations to that effect and I believe the mechanisms will be worked out. One idea should be that the Board members be more specialized in key areas that are crucial to accountability, transparency and the overall corporate governance. Another means will be to increase independent reviews and audits.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answersFull.
Pierre Dandjinou
The Board should not deal with the day to day activities of the staff. However, it will demand regular reporting from the Executive Director, and appoint Board members to special task force to provide any oversight deemed necessary.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
While I do think current situation is due to historical reasons I strongly believe that ICANN should increase its international status; It has started some points of presence through a few offices outside the US, but there should be ways in which it could retain a formal international status. This possibility was debated within the president strategy committee and some useful recommendations were made. There is a need to revisit them and act upon them.
Alan Greenberg
I don’t have a plan. I hope that one day At-Large / ALAC will have such a plan and will propose it to ICANN community.
But I am sure that there are some steps needed and possible to increase the International status of ICANN. Like increase the physical location (open to the various stakeholders) of ICANN. Currently 3 (MdR, Palo-Alto and Was) in US, 1 in Belgium (Europe) and 1 in Australia.
It is not balanced. http://www.icann.org/en/contact/
Pierre Dandjinou
While I do think current situation is due to historical reasons I strongly believe that ICANN should increase its international status; It has started some points of presence through a few offices outside the US, but there should be ways in which it could retain a formal international status. This possibility was debated within the president strategy committee and some useful recommendations were made. There is a need to revisit them and act upon them.
Alan Greenberg
I do not see the formal status changing in the next few years, but would not object to some change if it made sense. That being said, I think that it is imperative that ICANN view itself I do not see the formal status changing in the next few years, but would not object to some change if it made sense. That being said, I think that it is imperative that ICANN view itself as an international organization, and consider the obstacles to it being considered as such by stakeholders throughout the world. Where it is incorporated need not restrict how it acts with respect to most of its interactions.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
It is not so much the non-for profit status of ICANN but more the discrepancy between the budget allocated to Stakeholder participation and specifically end-users that we need to change. RALO AG and a triennial Summit is more important than…
Pierre Dandjinou
I must confess I do not have much insights on the level of I must confess I do not have much insights on the level of compensation of the senior managers of ICANN, but I do agree that their compensation should be more in keeping with the non-profit status of ICANN. I will suggest that an evaluation be made and that some benchmark be used to revisit the levels of salaries.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
Hope that the gTLDs process will not end-up with just auctions ;) Because then yes excess funds will be available but no project.
Pierre Dandjinou
I have no plan per se, But I will strongly advise that any excess money be used to boost participation to the ICANN processes and the outreach of our current ALS. Also, for the sake of inclusiveness, such excess money could be used to develop more capacities in areas where the Internet revolution is still slow.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Decrease the ICANN fees for those applicants.
My rational is: why ask those applicants to pay the time needed to develop the program?
Did we ask the new Telco to pay upfront the cost of the already landlines install?
Pierre Dandjinou
Yes, I think it is necessary to make serious adjustments to the new gTLD process in order to promote applications from developing economies. The applications fees should be revisited and wavers should raised on specific TLDs (namely the geographic and/or community ones. Plans should also be made available for providing some more capacities to the few registry/registrars from those developing economies.
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Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
I will trust Wikipedia more accurate that I can be: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_interest
“The public interest refers to the "Public Interest is a complex concept and political economist hardly agree on it. Generally, public interest’ will refer to a sort of common well-being" or "general welfare which then become ." The public interest is central to policy development and policy debates. Public interest also refers to the concept of public goods which should be made affordable and accessible to the public.
Alan Greenberg
I do not believe you can find a precise and definitive definition. I find the introduction to the Wikipedia’s description of “Public Interest” useful:The public interest refers to the "debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself. While nearly everyone claims that aiding the common well-being " or " general welfare ." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself. While nearly everyone claims that aiding the common well-being or general welfare is positive, is positive, there is little, if any, consensus on what exactly constitutes the public interest, or whether the concept itself is a coherent one. In the context of ICANN, I think it perhaps refers to the interests of those who are not represented by those with a direct financial stake in ICANN matters. It can also be a reference to the state of the Internet as a whole, to the extent that we can put metrics on it - for instance, if there were a major Denial-of-Service problem, that would not be in the public interest.
2. What would you say is the relevance of the "public interest" in the ICANN context?
Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
In the ICANN context, I see Internet itself as a public goods and therefore, ICANN should be promoting public interest from the coordination of internet resources. It is therefore important that the ICANN ecosystem integrates more actions and policy towards promotion of the public interest. Thus, domains name system as well as numbering systems should all be handled to the benefits of all, be they the business, the user at large.
Alan Greenberg
I think my previous answer partially addressed this. ICANN is entrusted with overseeing the Internet Name and Number systems. This is a general resource not just to serve those who can lobby ICANN for what they want but for the rest of the world’s users as well. There used to be an old expression in the United States that goes:What's good for General Motors is good for the country.
Perhaps it was once true in the US that what was good for big business was good for the nation, but it is certainly not true with respect to the Internet and the largest of the corporations that provide much of its infrastructure. ICANN is here to protect and enhance that infrastructure on behalf of everyone, not just the large contractors or businesses.
Ambiguities of the concept
There are different views on how many members of the public must benefit from an action before it can be declared to be in the public interest: at one extreme, an action has to benefit every single member of society in order to be truly in the public interest; at the other extreme, any action can be in the public interest as long as it benefits some of the population and harms none.
Put simply; to be in the public interest a matter might have the potential to adversely affect any person at any time in their life in any situation if a core matter is not put into the public arena or handled in a more reasonable way when the problem clearly becomes evident as symptomatic of an underlying unreasonableness.”
Pierre Dandjinou
Public Interest is a complex concept and political economist hardly agree on it. Generally, public interest’ will refer to a sort of common well-being or general welfare which then become central to policy development and policy debates. Public interest also refers to the concept of public goods which should be made affordable and accessible to the public.
Alan Greenberg
I do not believe you can find a precise and definitive definition. I find the introduction to the Wikipedia’s description of “Public Interest” useful:The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself. While nearly everyone claims that aiding the common well-being or general welfare is positive, there is little, if any, consensus on what exactly constitutes the public interest, or whether the concept itself is a coherent one.
In the context of ICANN, I think it perhaps refers to the interests of those who are not represented by those with a direct financial stake in ICANN matters. It can also be a reference to the state of the Internet as a whole, to the extent that we can put metrics on it - for instance, if there were a major Denial-of-Service problem, that would not be in the public interest.
2. What would you say is the relevance of the "public interest" in the ICANN context3. What is the relevance of the PI for the candidates and how best it could be pursued by them (once seated on the Board)?
Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Candidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
Public interest for me requests that actions and policies benefit the population at large. Therefore, this calls for more inclusive policies. If elected on the Board, I will certainly aim at promoting the interest of the users at large as this is my sincere belief. I was once a member of the advisory Board of PIR and could appreciate how best to include the users community into policy making. My close to 15 years within the UN also prepared me for an inclination towards the promotion of public interest.
Alan Greenberg
Given the lack of formal definition, and the likely varying perceptions of people, the only solution is to select someone who you believe (or hope) shares a common view with you and that they are then vigilant when the board is faced with decisions.
I strongly believe that one of the reasons that we needed At-Large to have voting privileges is to ensure that during the discussion and vote, there is always SOMEONE on the Board who is considering the impact on the user instead of just that on the various other stakeholders or the corporation itself. That is not to say that all other directors ignore these issues, but it is important to make sure that they are always represented.
Questions to specific candidates prepared by Adam Peake, EURALO ALAC member, on behalf of EURALO:
Pierre, Sebastien:
I understand you are both involved in potential applications for new gTLDs: Pierre, dot AFRICA (perhaps already controversial, with rival applications in play), Sebastien perhaps a few projects. If I am wrong about this, you have no involvement, please accept my apologies.
However, if correct, my concern is whether you will be able to participate fully in discussions about new gTLDs. I think we can be sure issues arising from the new gTLD program will be among the most important ICANN will face over the coming 2-3 years.
If selected as At Large Director will you stop any involvement with new gTLD application? Or how would you handle the possibility of having to recuse yourself from some or all discussions? Can a Director be involved in both an application and making policy that affects that or all applications?
Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
Internet is a "critical resource" and therefore it is of the "Public Interest" that the "Internet Ecosystem" taking care of the resource must be safeguarded and enhanced.
For ICANN it is very important to keep at the frontispiece the "public interest" and to avoid any capture by the "vested interests".
Pierre Dandjinou
In the ICANN context, I see Internet itself as a public goods and therefore, ICANN should be promoting public interest from the coordination of internet resources. It is therefore important that the ICANN ecosystem integrates more actions and policy towards promotion of the public interest. Thus, domains name system as well as numbering systems should all be handled to the benefits of all, be they the business, the user at large.
Alan Greenberg
I think my previous answer partially addressed this. ICANN is entrusted with overseeing the Internet Name and Number systems. This is a general resource not just to serve those who can lobby ICANN for what they want but for the rest of the world’s users as well. There used to be an old expression in the United States that goes:What's good for General Motors is good for the country.
Perhaps it was once true in the US that what was good for big business was good for the nation, but it is certainly not true with respect to the Internet and the largest of the corporations that provide much of its infrastructure. ICANN is here to protect and enhance that infrastructure on behalf of everyone, not just the large contractors or businesses.
3. What is the relevance of the PI for the candidates and how best it could be pursued by them (once seated on the Board)?
Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
It is importance to look at the wider picture, which is very much what At Large often does and needs to do.
Pierre Dandjinou
Public interest for me requests that actions and policies benefit the population at large. Therefore, this calls for more inclusive policies. If elected on the Board, I will certainly aim at promoting the interest of the users at large as this is my sincere belief. I was once a member of the advisory Board of PIR and could appreciate how best to include the users community into policy making. My close to 15 years within the UN also prepared me for an inclination towards the promotion of public interest.
Alan Greenberg
Given the lack of formal definition, and the likely varying perceptions of people, the only solution is to select someone who you believe (or hope) shares a common view with you and that they are then vigilant when the board is faced with decisions.
I strongly believe that one of the reasons that we needed At-Large to have voting privileges is to ensure that during the discussion and vote, there is always SOMEONE on the Board who is considering the impact on the user instead of just that on the various other stakeholders or the corporation itself. That is not to say that all other directors ignore these issues, but it is important to make sure that they are always represented.
Questions to specific candidates prepared by Adam Peake, EURALO ALAC member, on behalf of EURALO:
Pierre, Sebastien:
I understand you are both involved in potential applications for new gTLDs: Pierre, dot AFRICA (perhaps already controversial, with rival applications in play), Sebastien perhaps a few projects. If I am wrong about this, you have no involvement, please accept my apologies.
However, if correct, my concern is whether you will be able to participate fully in discussions about new gTLDs. I think we can be sure issues arising from the new gTLD program will be among the most important ICANN will face over the coming 2-3 years.
If selected as At Large Director will you stop any involvement with new gTLD application? Or how would you handle the possibility of having to recuse yourself from some or all discussions? Can a Director be involved in both an application and making policy that affects that or all applications?
Answers from Candidates (in order of the candidates' surname)
Sebastien Bachollet
From my SOI
• I do not have any current conflicts of interest.
• I currently act as Advisor and European Liaison for the .green project (volunteer work without compensation).
• In the past, I have authored feasibility studies for several new gTLD projects. While I have no current affiliation with any of them, some of these projects may be submitted to ICANN as gTLD applications.
• I have acted as the working group coordinator for the original feasibility study of the .paris TLD project from 2007 to 2008. This project is now handled by the office of Mr. Jean-Louis Missika, Deputy Mayor of the City of Paris.
I will steer clear of any conflict of interestCandidate has not yet submitted answers.
Pierre Dandjinou
Dear Adam, thanks for these questions. I do appreciate. In fact, I am not at all involved in any future application for the new gTLD round. As for DotAfrica, my contribution so far should be put within its context. I happen to be one of the promoters of the African stars (AF*) which is a loose organization which has been promoting African related Internet institutions and associations. My position within the UNDP as a regional Adviser on ICT prompted me to assist those nascent groupings which have now become AFRINIC, AFNOG and AFTLDs. The Africa Union has now appointed a group of Experts to assist it understand the new gTLD process and work out a registry for dot Africa in an open manner. I am one of those experts, and I do not plan at all to apply for the dot Africa registry. Whatever I have been doing was to facilitate a process.
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