[AfrICANN-discuss] Gore Backs ICANN On Eve Of Hearing

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/gore-backs-icann-on-eve-of-hea.php
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Gore Backs ICANN On Eve Of Hearing

On the eve of a congressional hearing to examine the future of the
government's relationship with the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers, the California-based entity that administers the
Web addressing system is getting some celebrity support. Former Vice
President Al Gore has joined with Vint Cerf, known to many as one of
the fathers of the Internet, in acknowledging the success of the
group's multi-stakeholder, bottom up governance. Gore led an
interagency panel 12 years ago that was charged with coordinating the
U.S. government's electronic commerce strategy, which led to the
creation of ICANN.

"What we have all those years later is an organization that works,"
Gore said. "[ICANN] has security as its core mission, is responsive to
all global stakeholders and is independent and democratic. We should
make permanent those foundations for success," he said. Cerf, who
long-served as ICANN's chairman and is now Google's chief Internet
evangelist, argued the past decade has shown the ICANN model has
worked. "The ICANN of today is larger, more capable, more
international, and better positioned to fulfill its mandate." ICANN
has benefited from a joint project agreement with the U.S. government,
which is slated to expire in September, but "the time has now come to
conclude it," Cerf said.

Cerf's comments are contained in written testimony, which ICANN will
ask the House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee to
accept for the record on Thursday. Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Rick
Boucher, D-Va., has been be urged by Internet industry stakeholders to
hold the hearing amid continued concerns about ICANN's accountability
and transparency. Invited witnesses include: National
Telecommunications and Information Administration's Fiona Alexander;
ICANN President Paul Twomey; Verisign Senior Vice President Kenneth
Silva; GoDaddy General Counsel Christine Jones; Verizon Vice President
Sarah Deutsch; and Thomas Lenard, president of the Technology Policy
Institute.