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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has failed to take action ensuring continued public representation on the group's board, fueling an avalanche of criticism from the organization's opponents, who are calling for greater representation.

By the conclusion of ICANN's meeting in Accra, Ghana, on Thursday, the group had not set elections to fill its five "at-large," or public, board seats when the terms for the current at-large representatives expire in November. The board also did not resolve to extend those current members' terms.

The at-large seats were filled by a global election conducted over the Internet in November 2000. However, the group has since said it did not think the elections were effective, raising questions about the future of public representation on the board. If no resolution is made concerning the upcoming at-large elections, the seats could lapse.

Progress Cited

ICANN, the nonprofit organization that oversees technical issues related to the Internet's addressing system, has long been under fire for lack of accountability and ineffectiveness.

Although the group is aware of these complaints--in fact, the Ghana meeting was dominated by discussion of ICANN President Stuart Lynn's reform proposal--the issue of public representation was downplayed by Lynn as overblown.

"ICANN is not a global democracy. ICANN has work to do," Lynn said in a blustery conference call with reporters Thursday.

The group posted a preliminary report on its Web site Thursday encouraging "meaningful, informed participation by Internet users" but did not detail exactly how they should participate.

Asked why the terms of the current at-large representatives were not extended, Lynn said it would have been technically impossible to do at the Ghana meeting since it would require a change to ICANN bylaws.

"Bylaw change can't be done on the fly," Lynn said, explaining that the proposed changes need to be posted with a 30-day public comment period.

Critics Dissatisfied

ICANN critics, such as the Center for Democracy and Technology, refute Lynn's explanation, saying the group could have at least resolved to change the bylaws to extend existing terms.

"We were disappointed and generally disheartened by the board's continued failure to move on public representation," CDT Policy Analyst Rob Courtney said. "They say that they want broad participation, but there is no medium for that participation."

Lynn sought to refocus attention on his reform proposals. He proposed a complete overhaul of ICANN last month, seeking, among other things, to refocus the group on core technical issues and boost funding and government participation.

Some attendees of the Ghana meeting reported on Tuesday that there was little support for Lynn's proposal, and the president himself conceded on Thursday that he didn't expect his proposals to pass, saying they were meant to diagnose problems and put issues on the table for debate.

Although Lynn said he was positive about progress at the Ghana meeting, citing a flurry of activity over the group's reformation, critics remain skeptical.

Courtney said ICANN dismantled its review panel at the meeting, which he found discouraging. "ICANN is in need of accountability and credibility ... to manage this central global resource," Courtney said, referring to the Internet.

Lynn says too many people are focusing on ICANN's process and not its work. "Forget the rhetoric, it has no relevance to solid work done here," he said.

The ICANN board of directors will next meet in Bucharest, Romania, in June.

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