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 <[log in to unmask]>:
> 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 <[log in to unmask]>
> 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>)
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