When I first learned of ICANN some years ago, and their role in overseeing the domain name system, I thought well of them and the importance of their mission. I was a budding internet/domain investor and patron of the world wide web. I recognized the monumental importance of this new technological achievement and the key role that domain names could & would play in organizing the net’s information.

As the internet grew up, ICANN progressed in spurts during which time some positive accomplishments did occur. However, the events of the past few years have demonstrated to the world just how contaminated ICANN have become from within.

ICANN’s bottom-up, open policy development model has become the joke of all jokes in the internet community. Last week’s congressional meeting, whose focus was to evaluate the option to extend oversight over ICANN, exemplified just how critical it is that ICANN not be allowed to escape governmental oversight.

There are so many separate yet interconnected failures of ICANN leadership, and decision-making, that it is difficult to find a starting point. What has emerged day after day over the course of years is a disturbing picture. How so? Here are a few of my personal conclusions which happen to be shared by many well-informed and astute ICANN observers & critics:

1. ICANN have devolved into a self-serving organization driven by the minority interests of a few insiders & a handful of external deep pocket supporters.
2. ICANN no longer operate like a “non-profit”, and have adopted profit motives that have contaminated their objectivity, goals, and “bottom-up” development model.
3. ICANN leadership do not possess the appropriate characterological qualities to continue in their leadership positions.
4. ICANN fear & avoid accountability, and have an unnatural, indefensible desire to escape transparency and necessary oversight.
5. ICANN do not look out for consumer interests. ICANN have specifically failed to address the glaring need to protect registrant consumers from registrar price exploitation. This is a particularly egregious ICANN failure which at this point can only be attributed to greed from within and arrogant indifference to the needs of the larger internet business community.
6. ICANN do not listen (read that hear) the internet community, and are intent on steamrolling their own agendas forward instead of adapting to the superior logic & input of broad-based, insightful constituents and global stakeholders.

As obvious experts at side-stepping, ICANN now have much explaining to do. Before congress last week, Twomey responded to poignant important questions with pomp, curt answers that showed what many of us have known for years. That ICANN are elitist, and suffer from a pathological self-entitlement mentality.

ICANN are now on a hot seat, and will remain there. They have made frequent, deliberate choices to ignore common sense and good will. Particularly in regard to their biz/info/org contract failure of 2006 when many hundreds of stakeholders had to almost besiege ICANN offices to effect a proper contract revision & outcome … that any fair-minded person could have seen was necessary, true & correct on principle alone.

Then there’s the recent loss of over $4 million dollars of “non-profit” monies squandered in the stock market. Thanks ICANN. And there’s the current massive $40 million surplus being held by ICANN which was intensely questioned by members of congress who wanted to know what was ICANN doing with all that idle money & why were ICANN not reinvesting some of that money into establishing mechanisms to fight cybersquatting and other ills. Or to at least lower registration costs for consumers who are the literal backbone of the internet. ICANN had no substantive answer.

And there’s the foolish new gTLD proposal which has no legitimate rationale other than to drop $185,000 per application into ICANN’s bank accounts with a projected first year influx of $90 million dollars. And the accompanying $75,000 per year registry renewal fee. Congress were very interested in why ICANN had determined such high prices when current comparable application and renewal fees are only a fraction of that quoted price. Higher, not lower, is the ICANN way.

ICANN are now over-the-line and seem to semi-exist in the despicable world of exploitive corporate giants who grew to prominence while stepping on the backs of stakeholders. Sounds like a pretty hard-nosed indictment, doesn’t it? Reality is full of disappointments … as well as painful consequences. Exposing ICANN for who they are has become the mission of many interested parties.

Did I mention the moment in the Congressional meeting in which Twomey divulged his $800,000 per year ICANN salary? Those who heard the salary figure said to themselves “Did I just hear that right”? Apparently, leading a “non-profit” can be pretty damn profitable. Makes you wonder.

ICANN want more money, more power, and more influence. Give it to them and we are all screwed! Last week, Congress succeeded in their examination of ICANN. They asked the right questions. In fact, the probing has just begun. And more importantly, Congress took note of ICANN’s true colors which were clear for all to see. Let’s observe what ICANN’s next step will be. If history is any indication …

Congressional Video Part 1: http://energycommerce.edgeboss.net/wmedia/energycommerce/2009.06.04.sc.ti.wvx

Congressional Video Part 2: http://energycommerce.edgeboss.net/wmedia/energycommerce/2009.06.04.sc.ti.2.wvx

Watch these videos, and get a real glimpse into the organization that has compromised so many domain registrants and businesses!

Also read: ICANN Serve Themselves Above Everyone Else

ICANN solicited comments some weeks ago from the public, and there was an overwhelming response & consensus against flooding the market with new top level domains. First, there is no need for more domains, and introducing large numbers into the existing market would create massive consumer confusion. Secondly, there are far-reaching, potentially damaging costs to 1000′s of corporations around the world who are already struggling to fight back the never-ending tide of trademark infringement. ICANN don’t seem to care enough. Literally.

ICANN have no real, defensible rationale for pushing new tld’s except for the lure of massive, unprecedented self-compensation which would reward ICANN via charging new tld applicants $185,000 per application and an estimated $30,000 – $70,000 per year in annual renewal costs. ICANN want huge amounts of money, and are willing to roll the dice with other people’s livelihoods, internet stability, and corporate budgets in order to get what they want. This is not a joke, and not an exaggeration.

PremiumDomains.biz categorically reject this proposal by ICANN. In the final analysis, their proposal would introduce a myriad of serious problems into, and ripple effects across, the internet economy, as well as spilling over into the general economy! ICANN receive practically no oversight, and have historically acted often against the best interests of domain investors, web developers, and general internet businesses.

If ICANN continue to push this potentially harmful and unnecessary tld proposal, then there will be an aggressive response from many factions, and the larger internet business community will bypass low level channels in lieu of directing focused attention (and resources) to appropriate State & Federal representatives. ICANN have amassed a record of poor performance and questionable competency in a number of areas. Their continued administration of the DNS can be challenged, and stepped-up public scrutiny applied to the impartiality, dedication, and judgement of each and every individual voting board member. 

Advertising Age have an interesting and enlightening article regarding ICANN’s ridiculous, and dangerous, new tld proposal. The article is worth reading. Thought provoking. Do not forget that you fund ICANN with most every domain name purchase and renewal you make. You fund the registrars that provide domain name registration. And you fund the registries that manage each separate tld. 

ICANN are a non-profit (emphasis on ”non profit”) who are contracted to coordinate the internet DNS in a fair, impartial, and objective manner. You pay their salaries and have a voice. Like it or not, they will be held accountable for their decisions, and the effects of those decisions on innumerable companies and individuals. I invite you to join in making your voice heard, and your actions count.