Farber, Neumann, and Weinstein Call for End to ICANN
lapse writes: "PFIR's latest policy statement calls for bringing
an end to ICANN. Without assigning blame, it calls for immediate action, and suggests some possible paths forward. Let's hope that this clear statement from such a respected trio will lead to better times ahead for Internet policy management." Salon also has an interview with Karl Auerbach about his lawsuit against ICANN.
One of the dates coming up on the ICANN calendar this summer or very early autumn is the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between ICANN and the Nat'l Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) [part of the US Dept of Commerce].
1 .htm This is due for renewal about now.
That MoU is the vehicle through which ICANN gains most of its authority over DNS. See http://www.icann.org/general/agreements.htm for a pointer to the MoU and its series of amendments.
Another vehicle is a contract with NIST for the "IANA Function":
http://www.icann.org/general/iana-contract-21mar0
Because if you take away the universal standard, there's no garuantee that a host will be universally accessible. Suddenly, there will be a dozen slashdot.org and a thousand sex.com sites.