more on Is Icann's importance overstated in the media?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins () gmail com>
Date: July 2, 2005 1:38:06 PM EDT
To: Ole Jacobsen <ole () cisco com>
Cc: David Farber <dave () farber net>, "johnl () iecc com" <johnl () iecc com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Is Icann's importance overstated in the media?
Reply-To: Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins () gmail com>


If you are going to quote someone -- if you are going to put someone's
words in quotation marks -- then you are obliged to quote exactly what
he said.  You "quoted" words that I did not say.  No journalist worth
his salt EVER does that.

Icann has exhibited dozens of examples of  "mission creep" since its
creation.  You admit this, so I do not need to document it, but I
shall if you insist.    I doubt the board of Icann weeps when the
press reports that Icann manages the traffic of the Internet.  It is
the perception of Icann's importance that causes folks like, oh, say,
the ITU, or all of Europe, to want to take them down.

If Icann had a simple mission statement:

 We map domain names to IP addresses.  When you type google.com or
itu.org into a Web browser, we help your computer connect to the
server you seek.

... and if that were its ONLY mission, then there would be no desire
to take Icann down.

I stand by my words.  Quote my words accurately, or don't quote me at  
all.  OK?

/rich

On 7/2/05, Ole Jacobsen <ole () cisco com> wrote:

> Dave,
>
> This is simply silly. ICANN has never "managed the traffic on the
> Internet" as Wiggins correctly points out, but then he goes on to make
> the statement that ICANN "at times was happy to assume" [this role].
> Where in the world does such a nonsensical notion come from?
>
> We may agree that the ICANN has been the subject of some "mission  
> creep"
> (largely as a result of the many pressure groups who participate in  
> its
> processes), but let's dispose of the sillyness shall we? Does it  
> really
> help that Wiggins, in an effort to clarify what the press has  
> reported,
> then states nearly the same thing?
>
> There are enough legitimate things to criticize ICANN for, we don't  
> need
> to invent new ones.
>
> Ole
>
>
>
> Ole J. Jacobsen
> Editor and Publisher,  The Internet Protocol Journal
> Academic Research and Technology Initiatives, Cisco Systems
> Tel: +1 408-527-8972   GSM: +1 415-370-4628
> E-mail: ole () cisco com  URL: http://www.cisco.com/ipj
>
>
>
> On Sat, 2 Jul 2005, David Farber wrote:
>
>
> > Rhe press has been sloppy on this one djf
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> > From: Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins () gmail com>
> > Date: July 2, 2005 5:47:44 AM EDT
> > To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> > Subject: Is Icann's importance overstated in the media?
> > Reply-To: Richard Wiggins <richard.wiggins () gmail com>
> >
> >
> > Dave,
> >
> > Over and over again, media reports say that Icann "manages the  
> > traffic
> > on the Internet."  Icann does not do this, and never has done so.
> > Icann's name literally is "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names  
> > and
> > Numbers." Icann took over the simple, but vital, function provided by
> > ISI at U Southern Cal:  map domain names to IP addresses.
> >
> > If Icann would have merely stuck to this purpose, the world would  
> > be a
> > better place.  It is silly to claim that Icann manages the traffic of
> > the Internet, but that seems to be a mantle that Icann, at times, was
> > glad to assume.
> >
> > If Icann simply managed the now ancient function of mapping names to
> > numbers, I doubt the ITU and Europe would have much of a problem with
> > it -- assuming that Icann did so efficiently and at a reasonable  
> > cost.
> >
> > It has always seemed to me that Icann has a basic choice: do a  
> > simple,
> > but vital, function very well, in which case you can succeed in
> > performing an important role -- or aspire to rule the Internet, in
> > which case the world will take you down.
> >
> > /rich
> >
> >
> > -------------------------------------
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