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Proposed Amendments to Bylaws re: New ASO MOU

To the ICANN Board and the Community:

On 21 October 2004, ICANN entered a new Address Supporting Organization (ASO) Memorandum of Understanding <http://www.icann.org/aso/aso-mou-29oct04.htm>. An announcement was posted at <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-21oct04.htm>.

This new ASO MOU replaces the version signed by ICANN and the RIRs in 1999 <http://www.icann.org/aso/aso-mou-26aug99.htm> and amended in 2000 <http://www.icann.org/aso/aso-mou-amend1-25sep00.htm> .

Under the new MOU, the "Number Resource Organization" <http://www.nro.net> will fulfill the role of the ASO as defined within the ICANN Bylaws <http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm> . Article VIII of the Bylaws states that the ASO "shall advise the Board with respect to policy issues relating to the operation, assignment, and management of Internet addresses."

Implementation of the new MOU will require an amendment to this Article VIII of the Bylaws, which currently refers to the 1999 version of the ASO MOU and includes a note indicating that "This article is subject to amendment as a result of continuing discussion and the Regional Internet Registries."

The following proposed amendments to the Bylaws incorporate a reference to (and thus give effect to) the new ASO MOU. These proposed amendments will be considered for adoption at a subsequent Board meeting. Deleted text is shown in strikeout type; added text is underlined.

Please forward any comments on the following proposed amendments to <bylaws-aso@icann.org> by 15 February 2005. [Please be aware that submitted comments will go through an email confirmation system; a confirmation message will be sent back to the originating address for the comment, and instructions on the confirmation process will be included.]

Respectfully submitted,
John O. Jeffrey
ICANN General Counsel & Secretary

ARTICLE VIII: ADDRESS SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION [Note: This article is subject to amendment as a result of continuing discussion and the Regional Internet Registries.]

Section 1. DESCRIPTION

1. The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) shall advise the Board with respect to policy issues relating to the operation, assignment, and management of Internet addresses.

2. The ASO shall be the entity established by the Memorandum of Understanding originally entered on 18 21 October 2004 1999 between ICANN and the Number Resource Organization (NRO), an organization of the existing regional Internet registries (RIRs), and amended in October 2000.

Section 2. ADDRESS COUNCIL

1. The ASO shall have an Address Council, consisting of representatives of the RIRs that are signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding the members of the NRO Number Council.

2. The Address Council shall, at least annually, host a meeting (the "General Assembly") open to participation by all interested individuals.

3. The Address Council shall select Directors to those seats on the Board designated to be filled by the ASO.

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