How Has WSIS Affected ICANN's Planning and Budget?
Regardless of how the United Nation's World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) process concludes, it has apparently already had at least some impact on ICANN's planning and budget. According to ICANN's proposed budget, a "significantly smaller portion of the budget will be spent managing developments springing from the UN's WSIS."

The budget document goes on to explain that "This investment is dedicated to describing ICANN's international role, the value ICANN provided to the worldwide internet community, and proper management of governmental involvement in the evolution and policy making processes for the Internet." Thus, although largely a communications/public relations effort, it seems that ICANN is providing at least some substantive response to the challenges posed by WSIS.

Additional evidence that ICANN revised their planning to respond to WSIS comes from a Commerce Department memo dated January 21, 2004. In the memo, NTIA indicates that ICANN had completed a Strategic Plan by the end of 2003 and "was working to revise that plan in light of developments related to the first Summit of the..." WSIS.

A UN takeover of the internet governance functions would be antithetical to the interests of internet stakeholders around the world. However, to the extent that the WSIS process results in ICANN undertaking needed reforms, the overall impact of the UN's interest in internet governance could be beneficial.

Since ICANN appears to be making some effort at reform in response to WSIS, they should take advantage of this situation by providing greater specificity to stakeholders on the nature of those reforms. Specifically, ICANN should explain to stakeholders what they mean by "proper management of governmental involvement" in internet policy processes. Only through greater openness and transparency will ICANN be able to gain the stakeholder confidence they need to justify their budget proposal.