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Next Steps in ICANN's Preparations for a New gTLD Subsequent Procedures ODP

14 September 2021
By
Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member

Maarten Botterman is an independent strategic adviser on Internet governance and related issues with more than 25 years' experience in guiding governments and major organizations on the economic, business, and societal impacts of current and future Internet innovations and technologies. During those 25-plus years, he participated in and led more than 50 international projects and studies and published more than 80 peer-reviewed reports for governments and industry on Future Net issues with teams, including experts with advanced academic degrees from many disciplines, ranging from technology and mathematics to economics and law, and from many different countries and cultures.

Maarten was employed as Head of Unit and Senior Adviser to the Dutch Government (1987–1995) and as Scientific Officer to the Communications Technology Research program that was run by the European Commission (1995–1999). These years brought many insights about the public interest and governance aspects of the developing global, networked knowledge society. These insights were further deepened when working for RAND Corporation, setting up and running an Information Society policy practice in Europe (1999–2006), with an emphasis on policy evaluation and scenario planning. Since 2006, he has been working as an independent strategic adviser to governments and businesses in close cooperation with leading independent research institutions in Europe (including RAND Europe, TNO Netherlands, DTI Danmark, Inno France, and CIVIC Germany). Today, he is internationally recognized as a governance and future Internet expert and is a regular contributor to international Internet governance events such as the Internet Governance Forum, where he is leading the Dynamic Coalition for the Internet of Things.

Next to advising the Dutch government and the European Commission on Internet governance issues, he got deeply involved in ICANN's work as a Board member and Chairman of the Public Interest Registry (2008–2016), over time actively participating in more than 40 ICANN meetings. Having worked internationally since 1995, he has extensive experience in working with people from different national and cultural backgrounds, and is comfortable in engaging in English, German, French, and Dutch (mother tongue). He has a reputation as an independent, trustworthy, out-of-the-box thinker who is able to look at issues from several perspectives with strong awareness of the bigger picture. Having served on boards and having reported to boards, he has extensive experience with effective board governance and the responsibilities and obligations that come with a director's position on a U.S. nonprofit board. Over the years, he has been a frequent guest speaker and/or moderator, mostly at smart technology-related events.

Maarten holds an advanced degree in business economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a certified coach and has a certificate in medical-based knowledge, both of which help in better understanding of what drives people in decision-making and going through life. In addition, he has completed several board excellence trainings with internationally renowned institutions, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, MIT, Yale School of Management, and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. His areas of interest include government, civil society, and technology.

Maarten is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee in 2016 and served as Board Chair from 2019 until 2022. His third and final term will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2025.

As announced on 14 September 2021, the ICANN Board has directed the ICANN President and CEO, or his designees, to prepare for an Operational Design Phase (ODP) to assess the resource and operational impacts of the Outputs contained in the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council's Final Report for the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (PDP). The Board is making this request because we expect the information and details resulting from the ODP will inform and help to facilitate our determination regarding the Subsequent Procedures Final Report Outputs. It is important to note that, at this stage, the Board is asking the Org for an operational assessment to inform our decision on this important area of work.

About the ODP for the Subsequent Procedures Final Report Outputs

This ODP, as detailed in the ODP Process Paper, will result in an operational assessment of the GNSO Council policy recommendations that are before the Board for our consideration. The outcome of the ODP will provide the Board with relevant information to determine the operational impact of implementing the recommendations, including whether the recommendations are in the best interests of the ICANN community or ICANN. The ODP will be an integral part of the preparation work for a next application round for new gTLDs if and when those recommendations are approved, and the costs incurred during the ODP are considered part of the development costs for that next round.

The questions framing the work in the ODP requested by the Board are specified in the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Operational Design Phase Scoping Document. The Board-approved Scoping Document also contains a requested timeline for the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures ODP. The Board expects the work of the ODP to be completed within 10 months of initiation. This will occur when the Org has organized and allocated the resources necessary to execute the work, estimated to take three months, and advised the Board accordingly. During the course of the 10-month work period, the ODP team will update the Community on its progress and answer questions that may arise. When specific milestones are reached, ICANN Org will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to provide feedback on the facts, figures, assumptions, approach, or other relevant information that ICANN Org is using for its ODP work.

Neither the ODP itself nor the Community input is an opportunity to question, modify, or amend the wording or intent of the Subsequent Procedures PDP recommendations. Should any policy-level questions or issues arise, ICANN Org will inform the Board and refer these policy issues and questions to the GNSO Council, which is encouraged to appoint an ODP liaison for this purpose.

Looking Ahead

ICANN Org has begun organizing resources so it can initiate the ODP. The Org has launched a dedicated New gTLD Subsequent Procedures ODP webpage where it will publish all information relating to the ODP. The page also contains an engagement section where stakeholders can ask questions, submit feedback, and read what other stakeholders have said.

ICANN Org will present a webinar on 28 September 2021 for the Community to review and answer questions regarding the scope of the ODP, as well as detailing the plans for stakeholder engagement.

The Board anticipates that the work conducted during the ODP will have a positive impact on the duration of the implementation process. For example:

  • It is expected that the ODP will provide proposed operational process design and answer key questions that would typically not be addressed until well into the implementation phase.
  • The Operational Design Assessment (ODA) will include a proposed implementation timeline, providing early visibility into the projected timing of implementation activities.
  • If the Board approves the recommendations, the ICANN Org and the Implementation Review Team would begin their work with operational data available. While the ODP analysis will not address every implementation question, the Board expects the information to add value to the implementation process.

By addressing the questions in the Scoping Document during the ODP, the Board believes the ODP and the resulting ODA will help to favorably position the implementation phase for success.

Where to Find More Information

All relevant information pertaining to the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures ODP can be found on the dedicated webpage. You can find all public material related to the ODP's purpose, scope, and outputs, and the page will feature a progress tracker once work gets underway. We also invite the Community to register for the upcoming SubPro ODP webinar taking place on 28 September at 20:00 Universal Coordinated Time.

Authors

Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member
Maarten Botterman

Maarten Botterman

ICANN Board Member

Maarten Botterman is an independent strategic adviser on Internet governance and related issues with more than 25 years' experience in guiding governments and major organizations on the economic, business, and societal impacts of current and future Internet innovations and technologies. During those 25-plus years, he participated in and led more than 50 international projects and studies and published more than 80 peer-reviewed reports for governments and industry on Future Net issues with teams, including experts with advanced academic degrees from many disciplines, ranging from technology and mathematics to economics and law, and from many different countries and cultures.

Maarten was employed as Head of Unit and Senior Adviser to the Dutch Government (1987–1995) and as Scientific Officer to the Communications Technology Research program that was run by the European Commission (1995–1999). These years brought many insights about the public interest and governance aspects of the developing global, networked knowledge society. These insights were further deepened when working for RAND Corporation, setting up and running an Information Society policy practice in Europe (1999–2006), with an emphasis on policy evaluation and scenario planning. Since 2006, he has been working as an independent strategic adviser to governments and businesses in close cooperation with leading independent research institutions in Europe (including RAND Europe, TNO Netherlands, DTI Danmark, Inno France, and CIVIC Germany). Today, he is internationally recognized as a governance and future Internet expert and is a regular contributor to international Internet governance events such as the Internet Governance Forum, where he is leading the Dynamic Coalition for the Internet of Things.

Next to advising the Dutch government and the European Commission on Internet governance issues, he got deeply involved in ICANN's work as a Board member and Chairman of the Public Interest Registry (2008–2016), over time actively participating in more than 40 ICANN meetings. Having worked internationally since 1995, he has extensive experience in working with people from different national and cultural backgrounds, and is comfortable in engaging in English, German, French, and Dutch (mother tongue). He has a reputation as an independent, trustworthy, out-of-the-box thinker who is able to look at issues from several perspectives with strong awareness of the bigger picture. Having served on boards and having reported to boards, he has extensive experience with effective board governance and the responsibilities and obligations that come with a director's position on a U.S. nonprofit board. Over the years, he has been a frequent guest speaker and/or moderator, mostly at smart technology-related events.

Maarten holds an advanced degree in business economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is a certified coach and has a certificate in medical-based knowledge, both of which help in better understanding of what drives people in decision-making and going through life. In addition, he has completed several board excellence trainings with internationally renowned institutions, including Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, MIT, Yale School of Management, and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. His areas of interest include government, civil society, and technology.

Maarten is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board by the Nominating Committee in 2016 and served as Board Chair from 2019 until 2022. His third and final term will expire at the Annual General Meeting in 2025.

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