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­­­­­June 25, 2008, Paris - CnI’s Tom Lowenhaupt today presented the following before the ICANN board of directors.

I’ve been an observer and occasional participant in the Internet governance process for a little over 10 years now. During that time I’ve seen the concepts such as open & transparent, stakeholder, and multi-stakeholder flower here. The role and responsibilities of civic society are being shaped by the effort to establish a viable governance structure for the Internet. Today, Internet governance innovations are seeping into the UN via the IGF.

The organization for which I work, Connecting.nyc Inc., is a New York State not-for-profit corporation. As such it is bound by the U.S. and New York State constitutions and by statutes enacted by our legislatures. Those guidelines did not imagine an Internet or a .nyc Top Level Domain.

Much of my time these days is spent in research and discussions seeking an effective governance structure for the .nyc TLD. New York City is a baby in terms of global cities having been formed a mere 400 years ago. Our governance structure will be shaped by those years and the unique needs of merging the Internet into our complex society. And our governance structure will be different from that of every other city TLD.

The ICANN is a treasure of governance experiences. From the decisions that shaped the initial incorporation under the laws of the State of California; that then elected Ester Dyson as its first chair; to the process that elected Karl Auerbach and several others to the board of directors, to this week’s many meetings which explored its future.

I’d like to request that a new section be created on the ICANN’s website that presents the ICANN’s governance experiences. This would be of immense help to the cities such as New York, Berlin, and Paris as they seek their counterparts to ALAC, NCUC, the constituencies and advisory boards that will guide those TLDs development. And our pioneering experiences should be cataloged there for the many cities that will soon integrate that amazing tool, the Internet, into their cultures in new and exciting ways. 

Cities are the grassroots, the bottom-up, and they will increasingly play a role in Internet governance. Please provide some resources to assist our efforts.

Thank you all for staying to the end of the meeting and for your attention.

At the conclusion of his presentation ICANN Chair Peter Thrust thanked Mr. Lowenhaupt for his comments and indicated that such a body of knowledge was a reasonable request and should be developed. Mr. Thrush further indicated that other international organizations were using the ICANN experiences in their operation processes.

May 2, 2008 - Connecting.nyc Inc. is scheduled to make three public presentations during May. The first will be May 7th at the Third Annual New Media Day Conference at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens. The 10:15 AM presentation will focus how a new set of domain names will help students as they start businesses, initiate civic projects, or publish their thoughts to the world. See event details.

The next CnI contact opportunity is Tuesday, May 13, 7 PM at the offices of The Open Planning Project. Here we will explore the ways organizing and decision-making software can be used to develop resident support for the .nyc TLD and begin to imagine its ongoing planning role in our communities and city. TOPP is located at 347 West 12th Street. Seating is limited with access organized through our Meetup link.

Finally, on May 21 we will make a general ’scope of project’ presentation at the Jefferson Market Library. Sponsored by the Internet Society, the presentation will start from the project’s roots as expressed in a 2001 Internet Empowerment Resolution passed by a local community board, through the long path to acquisition, and review the many opportunities that arise with .nyc’s arrival. It will tell the .nyc story from the perspective of how a TLD can address the everyday challenges of city life. Jefferson Market is located at 425 6th Avenue, at 10th Street, picture at right. (Commons photo courtesy of shelly blogger.)