closed ISPCP Constituency Charter Amendments

Outcome

The ICANN organization will share this summary report and the submissions with the ISPCP Constituency for its consideration. The ISPCP Constituency will then prepare a final version of its amended charter for consideration by its members. If approved, the final amended charter will be submitted it to the ICANN Board.

What We Received Input On

The Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers (ISPCP) Constituency of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) recently amended its charter and notified ICANN staff of its request for approval by the ICANN Board. This Public Comment proceeding seeks input on proposed amendments of the ISPCP Constituency charter to inform ICANN Board consideration.

ISPCP Constituency amended its charter to reflect its current practices, align with its operating procedures, and accommodate its evolving needs. It also accounts for best practices for the GNSO such as the GNSO Operating Procedures, Work Stream 2 (WS2) Recommendation 6 from the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability, and the ICANN Bylaws. The amended ISPCP Constituency charter is the culmination of work by the ISPCP Constituency Charter Drafting Team in partnership with ICANN staff.

Specific amendments include:

• Updated organizational structure while bringing charter in uniformity with ICANN formatting.
• Clarified mission and participation principles.
• Clarified areas of governance, including expanded methods of determining decision-making and policy positions.
• Updated definition of membership eligibility, and methods to determine eligibility.
• Expanded provisions regarding disclosure and resolution of conflicts.
• Provisions for engagement and outreach, including formation of an Outreach and Engagement Committee.
• Provisions for communications, publication policies, and protection of member data.
• New section on accountability and transparency, including communications to members.
• Revised section on elections, which outlines principles related to quorum and the removal of officers.
• Revised section on meetings, which includes principles related to format, minutes, and procedures.
• Formation of the role of Elections Coordinator for the ISPCP.
• Updated process for amending charter, considering best practices from the GNSO Operating Procedures and Work Stream 2 recommendations.
• Core definitions list to further inform terminology used contextually within the charter.

Background

The ICANN Bylaws (Article XI, Section 5.c) state that each GNSO Stakeholder Group and its associated Constituencies “shall maintain recognition with the ICANN Board.” The ICANN Board has interpreted this language to require approval of any charter amendments.

As a best practice, each GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency reviews its charter on a regular basis. In September 2013, the ICANN Board approved a Process for Amending GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters to guide its consideration of any GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency charter amendments.

Supporting Information