btw, i spent quite a bit of my time with the berkman center researchers working on accountability and transparency on just the issue of how users can be represented and i think it a hard problem.
I bet it is not a trivial enterprise to put together and give shape to an organization like ICANN. My biggest concern is that somewhere in the painful process of building this organization something got completely derailed from its original intents. I'll not deny that there are positives and some accomplishments, not trying to do a substantial balance check, but on a 50Kfeet quick snapshot, I see ICANN as a non-profit org with a ~$60+M annual budget, and I always rise this question on my mind: what it actually produces at that cost for the "common good" of the Internet community ? (lets make clear that the domain registrants are the ones mostly paying for all this). Yes, it has the contract (by now) from DoC to provide the IANA services, it has some DNS operational and coordination role, the folks involved with the DNSSEC implementation did a great job, but the bulk of the budget is not going there, most of it goes to finance the smoke and mirrors processes and the traveling circus. No wonder why in the letter sent today by DoC/NTIA to ICANN, on the very first line Asisstant Secretary Strickling says "I am writing to express my concern regarding the apparent failure of ICANN to carry out its obligations as specified in the Affirmation of Commitments" ... http://forum.icann.org/lists/5gtld-guide/pdf4SSmb5oOd5.pdf I believe that there is a lot of people very concerned with what ICANN is doing and what it is supposed to do, and trying to fix it from within is not an easy task either, getting involved in ICANN's processes and ecosystem is very demanding, and unless you have a big chunk of dough in the bank or are being paid (which brings on front line the interests of who pays you) there is not an easy way to make free volunteer work effective. I guess we are sliding OT for this list ...sigh Best Regards Jorge