ICANN Ombuds Responds to Criticism

In a blog entry posted February 12, the ICANN Ombudsman, Frank Fowlie, disclosed that he had received a substantial number of contacts regarding Registerfly, an ICANN-approved provider of internet hosting and domain name registration services. Fowlie explained that issues were outside the purview of his office, but provided information for consumers to complain to another ICANN office. (ICANN Ombudsman Blog.) A subsequent article on The Register griped that Fowlie had "washed his hands" of the matter. (The Register.) Fowlie responded on his blog by clarifying his role and defending his actions. (ICANN Ombudsman Blog.) This is rare example of a public dialog involving an ombuds. (Prior Ombuds Blog post: ICAAN Ombuds Launches Blog.)