Suggested Comment - ICANN Reserve Fund

Mon Nov 13 09:39:02 EET 2017

Hi Arsene,

I have now responded to all of your comments in the Google Doc. I encourage you to propose edits to the text directly if you think that the statement can be improved. It is a collaborative process, with the document open for all to edit and shape. In my experience it can be easy to criticise or object to something, but a lot more challenging to come up with evidence-informed, alternative recommendations.

Best wishes, Ayden

> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: Suggested Comment - ICANN Reserve Fund
> Local Time: 13 November 2017 11:15 AM
> UTC Time: 13 November 2017 11:15
> From: arsenebaguma at gmail.com
> To: Ayden Férdeline <icann at ferdeline.com>
> NCSG-DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU <NCSG-DISCUSS at listserv.syr.edu>
>
> Thanks Ayden,
>
> I will try and input most of these comments into the doc directly and
> hope they will be adressed.
>
> Regards,
> Arsene
>
> 2017-11-13 12:48 UTC+02:00, Ayden Férdeline icann at ferdeline.com:
>
>> Hi Arsene,
>> You are welcome to propose edits to the text directly. The Google Doc is
>> open for all to edit and shape, and I note that you managed to comment on
>> another one roughly 30 minutes ago. As a reminder, this is just proposed
>> text and of course not yet endorsed by the NCSG, so nothing is final and
>> edits are still possible. That being said, if I may politely suggest you
>> first read the supporting material which I linked to in my initial email, it
>> might be helpful to see what it is that ICANN is requesting that we comment
>> on.
>> Thanks,
>> Ayden
>>
>>> -------- Original Message --------
>>> Subject: Re: Suggested Comment - ICANN Reserve Fund
>>> Local Time: 13 November 2017 10:33 AM
>>> UTC Time: 13 November 2017 10:33
>>> From: arsenebaguma at GMAIL.COM
>>> To: NCSG-DISCUSS at LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>>> Hi Ayden,
>>> Thanks for pulling together this comment.
>>> I am sending here few comments as my network doesn’t allow me to work
>>> on the Google doc now. I don’t have a very good background with
>>> finances or budgets, but I will try to share few comments bellow.
>>> First, I am in total agreement with you that ICANN should not consider
>>> taking away from the new gTLD Auction Proceeds funds as these should
>>> not seek to cover ICANN’s operating expenses but support external
>>> projects that align with ICANN’s mission. This discussion has been
>>> happening in the AP WG and that was my point as well.
>>> “However, given the organisation’s unusual risk profile, we would
>>> encourage the organisation to set a target level for the Reserve Fund
>>> of a minimum of 24 months of operating expenses.”
>>> Is there any reason why you are requesting this, Ayden?
>>> If the org is failing to keep the fund to a minimum of 12 months, I
>>> think it is asking too much for now (though it would be great if they
>>> are able to) to ask them to keep a minimum of 24 months. I would
>>> suggest this comment to focus on helping them to be able to stick and
>>> ensure they remain with a minimum of 12 months as they have been doing
>>> trying to do since 2007.
>>> “However, there are many ways in which ICANN could cut funding”
>>> Thanks for suggesting some ways ICANN can cut down some of its
>>> expenses and call them on being more responsible with the way they
>>> make expenses. Many of these suggestions are valid after a quick look
>>> but need to be looked at in deep in order to ensure we all have the
>>> same opinion as the NCSG.
>>> I do agree with a comment I read that these can be more relevant
>>> suggestions with regards to the Operating Funds not the Reserve Funds.
>>> Can we work on another comment in the future (not sure whether there
>>> is an open comment on Operating Funds) and present these arguments
>>> instead?
>>> I know you have personal reasons or strong opinions with regards to
>>> the Fellowship program but I don’t think this is the right place to
>>> present that because there is no general agreement within the NCSG on
>>> what needs to be our response with regards to the Fellowship program
>>> and its expenses. I am sure many of us agree that there is a need to
>>> review this program though. I think this can be the subject of a
>>> different discussion that needs to happen before we can present it as
>>> the NCSG opinion.
>>> With regards to GSE expenses, I would appreciate to have a reference
>>> that supports this claim or if you could expand more here on what you
>>> mean because this can be seen as a pure claim with no evidences. Are
>>> you saying that the GSE is making expenses for activities that are out
>>> of ICANN’s remit?
>>> I would not like to sound like commenting on all these suggested ways
>>> for ICANN to cut its expenses but I think for an NCSG comment, we may
>>> need to base our current and future comments on issues we have openly
>>> discussed on the list and where we seemed to have an agreement and
>>> only have been waiting for an opportunity to make them public as a
>>> stance.
>>> So, I would strongly suggest that we don’t make suggestions (unless
>>> someone has other suggestions) and stick to the fact that ICANN should
>>> carefully look at the way they make expenses in their operations and
>>> use some of the remainder to replenish the Reserve Funds. I wish I was
>>> able to provide more.
>>> I would like to thank you, Ayden for holding the pen here again
>>> (something many of us here are not yet able to do) but I would call
>>> for caution that we should not seek to use NCSG to channel personal
>>> opinions. I would instead encourage whenever we have a concern or an
>>> opinion over something, to raise it with the membership, discuss it
>>> and then when there is an opportunity to publicly address them, then
>>> we can use NCSG voice to raise them.
>>> Thank you very much,
>>> Arsene
>>> 2017-11-12 14:46 UTC+02:00, Carlos Raul Gutierrez crg at isoc-cr.org:
>>>
>>>> Dear Ayden,
>>>> thanks a lot for this excellent draft, which by the way updated me and
>>>> gave
>>>> me a very good picture of the whole discussion.
>>>> Based on my own experience, ICANN high dependency on a stream of fees
>>>> directly related to the size of the DNS market is a problem of capture in
>>>> waiting. Most entities that deal with such dynamic markets (I'm no going
>>>> to
>>>> use the word) tend to prefer vaccinate themselves from the illusion of an
>>>> endless source of income, by developing a cost based budget first, and
>>>> justifying every year its budget to the providers of income, instead of
>>>> defending a TAX or cut of their business.
>>>> My humble suggestion is that within your suggestion that the Board would
>>>> think a little bit harder about this issue, we include the general notion
>>>> of a cost based budgeting system, as an important step to reduce the risk
>>>> of inflated expectations about the growth potential of the DNS market of
>>>> the present tax based system. Some new gTLDs are not sustainable under
>>>> the
>>>> present cost structure of the ICANN Corporation, and it would be a pity
>>>> to
>>>> limit the innovation and openness of the DNS just because its structure
>>>> is
>>>> so expensive to maintain.
>>>> Thanks again for your work and considering my ideas.
>>>> Carlos Raúl Gutiérrez
>>>> ISOC Costa Rica Chapter
>>>> skype carlos.raulg
>>>> +506 8837 7176
>>>>
>>>> Apartado 1571-1000
>>>> COSTA RICA
>>>> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 2:28 PM, Ayden Férdeline icann at ferdeline.com
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I have drafted a response on behalf of the NCSG regarding ICANN's
>>>>> Reserve
>>>>> Fund. The call for public comments and supporting documentation can be
>>>>> found
>>>>> here https://www.icann.org/public-comments/reserve-fund-2017-10-12-en.
>>>>> The proposed comment that I have drafted is on Google Docs here
>>>>> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WJICv5BgHyBIo_o3twOkK0BZDyALIvZYjKXiY5s3RgI/edit?usp=sharing.
>>>>> This is a rough draft; your comments will be instrumental in shaping the
>>>>> final version, if the NCSG choses to submit one. But for now I welcome
>>>>> your
>>>>> constructive edits to the text. Thank you.
>>>>> —Ayden
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Arsène Tungali http://about.me/ArseneTungali
>>> Co-Founder & Executive Director, Rudi international
>>> http://www.rudiinternational.org,
>>> CEO,* Smart Services Sarl http://www.smart-serv.info*, Mabingwa Forum
>>> http://www.mabingwa-forum.com
>>> Tel: +243 993810967
>>> GPG: 523644A0
>>> Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
>>> 2015 Mandela Washington Felllow
>>> http://tungali.blogspot.com/2015/06/selected-for-2015-mandela-washington.html
>>> (YALI) - ISOC Ambassador (IGF Brazil
>>> http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/igf-ambassadors-programme/Past-Ambassadors
>>> & Mexico
>>> http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/Current-Ambassadors)
>>>
>>> - AFRISIG 2016 http://afrisig.org/afrisig-2016/class-of-2016/ - Blogger
>>> http://tungali.blogspot.com - ICANN Fellow (Los Angeles
>>> https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2014-07-18-en & Marrakech
>>> https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/marrakech55-attendees-2016-03-14-en
>>> ). AFRINIC Fellow (Mauritius
>>> http://www.afrinic.net/en/library/news/1907-afrinic-25-fellowship-winners)*
>>> - *IGFSA Member http://www.igfsa.org/ - Internet Governance - Internet
>>> Freedom.
>>>
>>> Check the 2016 State of Internet Freedom in DRC report (English
>>> http://cipesa.org/?wpfb_dl=234) and (French
>>> http://cipesa.org/?wpfb_dl=242)
>>>
>>> --
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Arsène Tungali http://about.me/ArseneTungali
> Co-Founder & Executive Director, Rudi international
> http://www.rudiinternational.org,
> CEO,* Smart Services Sarl http://www.smart-serv.info*, Mabingwa Forum
> http://www.mabingwa-forum.com
> Tel: +243 993810967
> GPG: 523644A0
> Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
>
> 2015 Mandela Washington Felllow
> http://tungali.blogspot.com/2015/06/selected-for-2015-mandela-washington.html
> (YALI) - ISOC Ambassador (IGF Brazil
> http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/igf-ambassadors-programme/Past-Ambassadors
> & Mexico
> http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-leadership-programmes/next-generation-leaders/Current-Ambassadors)
>
> - AFRISIG 2016 http://afrisig.org/afrisig-2016/class-of-2016/ - Blogger
> http://tungali.blogspot.com - ICANN Fellow (Los Angeles
> https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2014-07-18-en & Marrakech
> https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/marrakech55-attendees-2016-03-14-en
> ). AFRINIC Fellow (Mauritius
> http://www.afrinic.net/en/library/news/1907-afrinic-25-fellowship-winners)*
> - *IGFSA Member http://www.igfsa.org/ - Internet Governance - Internet
> Freedom.
>
> Check the 2016 State of Internet Freedom in DRC report (English
> http://cipesa.org/?wpfb_dl=234) and (French
> http://cipesa.org/?wpfb_dl=242)
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