To whom it may concern:
Attachment A of the MOU states in item #1...
"A proposed global policy can be submitted either to one of the RIR policy fora (via mail lists or public policy meeting) or to the ASO Address Council directly."
Item #16, under Considerations states...
"Through the provisions of an agreement to be executed between the RIRs and ICANN, it is recognized that the ICANN Board has the ability to request that the ASO Address Council initiate a policy development process through the RIRs, using the policy development procedure described above."
So, these two paragraphs seem to indicate that if an entity other than ICANN itself wishes a global policy to be placed in consideration it MUST come to either a specific RIR policy forum or the ASO AC. In the event, a policy proposal is made to ICANN directly, in one fashion or another, is it the obligation of ICANN to redirect that initiative to the ASO AC, or may it refer that proposal as its own?
I believe that any proposal intiative that comes to ICANN, by whatever means, should be redirected without consideration to the ASO AC or a specific RIR policy forum whose service region covers the requestor's interests. I think that this eventuality should be specifically addressed in the MOU and/or attachment.
In this way, the industry is specifically directed to follow a bottom up process that encourages their involvement with their local community of interest.
Bill Darte ARIN AC
Washington University in St. Louis Center for the Application of Information Technology (CAIT) 314 935-7575