Approved Board Resolutions | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board 18 July 2013

  1. Main Agenda
    1. Thank You to Departing Community Members
  2. Consent Agenda
    1. Committee Appointments
    2. Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Metrics for the New gTLD Program per AoC Review
    3. Singapore Office Lease
    4. Approval of RSSAC Appointees
    5. Budget Approval Timing
    6. Thank you to Sponsors of Durban Meeting
    7. Thank you to Interpreters, Staff and Event Teams of Durban Meeting
    8. Thank you to local hosts of Durban Meeting
  3. Main Agenda
    1. Comment by Chair on IANA Department items approved by Board on 17 July 2013 – no resolution taken
    2. Thank You to Thomas Narten

 

  1. Main Agenda:

    1. Thank You to Departing Community Members

      Whereas, ICANN wishes to acknowledge the considerable energy and skills that members of the stakeholder community bring to the ICANN process.

      Whereas, in recognition of these contributions, ICANN wishes to acknowledge and thank members of the community when their terms of service on Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees end.

      Whereas, the following members of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Council are leaving their positions:

      • Lesley Cowley – ccNSO Chair
      • Mary Wong – ccNSO Council

      Resolved (2013.07.18.01), Mary Wong and Lesley Cowley have earned the deep appreciation of the Board for their terms of service, and the Board wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community.

      Whereas, the following members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) are leaving their positions when their terms end:

      • Matt Serlin – Registrar Stakeholder Chair
      • Jon Nevett – New gTLD Applicant Group (NTAG) Chair
      • Alain Berranger – Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency (NPOC) Chair

      Resolved (2013.07.18.02), Matt Serlin, Jon Nevett and Alain Berranger have earned the deep appreciation of the Board for their terms of service, and the Board wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community.

      Whereas, the following members of the At-Large community are leaving their positions when their terms end:

      • YJ Park – Asian, Australasian and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO) Vice Chair
      • Oksana Prykhodko – European Regional At-Large Organization (EURALO) Secretary

      Resolved (2013.07.18.03), YJ Park and Oksana Prykhodko have earned the deep appreciation of the Board for their terms of service, and the Board wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community.

  2. Consent Agenda:

    1. Committee Appointments

      Whereas, the IETF has appointed Jonne Soininen to replace Thomas Narten as the IETF Liaison to the Board.

      Whereas, the Board Governance Committee has recommended that the Board appoint Jonne Soininen as a non-voting Liaison to each of the following committees of the ICANN Board: IANA Committee, the New gTLD Program Committee, the Public and Stakeholder Engagement Committee, and the Risk Committee.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.04), Jonne Soininen will replace Thomas Narten as a non-voting Liaison to the IANA Committee, the New gTLD Program Committee, the Public and Stakeholder Engagement Committee, and the Risk Committee.

      Rationale for Resolution 2013.07.18.04

      Jonne Soininen brings valuable skills and experience to the IANA Committee, the New gTLD Program Committee, the Public and Stakeholder Engagement Committee, and the Risk Committee. His experience includes a past term on the ICANN Board. While at this time, Mr. Soininen is being appointed as a non-voting Liaison to all of the Committees on which Thomas Narten sat, the Board will re-evaluate the membership of all committees in advance of the Annual General Meeting in November 2013.

      This decision does not have any financial impact on ICANN, the community or the public. Any impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system would be beneficial in light of Mr. Soininen's skills and expertise.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

    2. Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Metrics for the New gTLD Program per AoC Review

      Whereas, in the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) ICANN has committed to promoting competition, consumer trust and consumer choice, and to organizing a review that will examine the extent to which the introduction or expansion of gTLDs has promoted competition, consumer trust and consumer choice when New gTLDs have been in operation for one year.

      Whereas, on 10 December 2010 the ICANN Board requested that the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) and the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) provide advice on establishing the definition, measures, and three year targets for competition, consumer trust and consumer choice in the context of the domain name system, which resulted in the Board receiving advice this year from the GNSO Council and the ALAC, each offering recommendations on specific metrics.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.05), the Board thanks the GNSO Council and the ALAC for their advice letters, and thanks the ICANN community for the significant efforts undertaken in response to the Board's request.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.06), that the Board directs the CEO to commence the process under the AoC for convening of the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team (Review Team), for the purpose of: (i) evaluating and reporting to the Board on the feasibility, utility and cost-effectiveness of adopting the recommendations of the GNSO Council and the ALAC; (ii) evaluating other inputs, including historical data regarding metrics used to evaluate earlier rounds of New gTLDs (2000, 2004); (iii) engaging with the GNSO, ALAC and staff in an effort to reach agreement on the metrics; and (iv) proposing a set of metrics to be compiled by ICANN for use in the future AoC Review of the New GTLD Program.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.07), that the Board directs the President and CEO to analyze each of the proposed metrics to: (i) evaluate its feasibility and utility, (ii) evaluate whether the implementation costs associated with its collection are reasonable in light of the value of the information to be revealed; and (iii) to provide such analysis to the Review Team when convened. Where the Review Team determines that the metrics from the GNSO Council or the ALAC do not meet these criteria, the review team will consult with the GNSO and ALAC to share its rationale, and determine whether the collective set of metrics recommended by the Review Team sufficiently address the goals of the GNSO and the ALAC.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2013.07.18.05 – 2013.07.18.07

      The advice letters submitted by the GNSO Council and ALAC reflect the extensive thought and analysis conducted by the ICANN community to help guide ICANN in preparing for the upcoming review of the New gTLD Program that is to commence one year after the first new TLDs are delegated.

      The Board request for this advice followed community calls for metrics – objective measures that could be used to assess ICANN's performance in the areas of consumer trust, competition, and consumer choice. As new gTLDs will be delegated this year, it is important that ICANN identify the metrics and begin collecting data that may be used by the future Review Team (required under the Affirmation of Commitments, or AoC) to conduct its analysis. The Board's resolution calls for the President and CEO to commence the process described in the AoC for convening of the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team now (rather than wait for the New gTLD Program to be in operation for one year) to: evaluate and report on the feasibility, utility and cost-effectiveness of implementing the various consumer metrics recommended by the Community; evaluating other inputs, including historical data regarding metrics used to evaluate earlier rounds of new gTLDs (2000, 2004); engage with the GNSO and ALAC to identify agreement on metrics; and ultimately to propose a series of metrics for the Board to approve, to be collected for use in the future review to be conducted under the AoC. If, after discussing this with the GNSO and ALAC, the Review Team ultimately recommends against using a metric proposed by the GNSO Council and/or ALAC, the Review Team is expected to provide an explanation to the Board.

      The Review Team will work in two phases: phase one will occur as soon as the Review Team is appointed by the President and CEO and GAC Chair, and involves engaging the Community, as well as ICANN, evaluating and reporting on metrics proposed by the GNSO Council and ALAC, and recommending the metrics to be collected by ICANN in preparation for the upcoming review of the New gTLD Program; and phase two will occur after new gTLDs have been in operation for one year and involves examining the extent to which the introduction or expansion of gTLDs has promoted competition, consumer trust, and consumer choice.

      Once the proposed metrics are delivered to the Board at the conclusion of phase one, the Review Team's work would be suspended until the new gTLDs have been in operation for one year. At the beginning of Phase two, the composition of the Review Team would be reconfirmed by the CEO and GAC Chair, to allow for substituting or augmenting its members, as appropriate.  In the interim, ICANN will develop the systems to collect the metrics approved through this process.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

    3. Singapore Office Lease

      Whereas, ICANN has stated its objective to open and staff a hub office in Singapore.

      Whereas, staff performed a thorough search to identify and evaluate locations and costs for suitable office facilities.

      Whereas, on 12 July 2013 the Board Finance Committee recommended that the Board authorize the President and CEO to enter into, and make all necessary disbursements for, a lease for the ICANN Singapore hub office, in an amount not to exceed US$750,000 for a two-year term.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.08), the Board authorizes the President and CEO to enter into, and make all necessary disbursements for, a lease for the ICANN Singapore hub office in an amount not to exceed US$750,000 for a two-year term.

      Rationale for Resolution 2013.07.18.08

      ICANN is committed to expanding its ability to service all geographic regions across the globe and in particular to have hub offices in key time zones. ICANN evaluated numerous locations and determined that locating a hub office in Singapore would help serve the entire region. Staff underwent extensive research to identify and evaluate the location and costs of a potential Singapore hub office. As a result, staff has identified an optimal location for the Singapore hub office, but the amount of the office lease, which requires a two-year commitment, exceeds staff's contracting and disbursement authority, and must be approved by the Board. Both staff and the Board Finance Committee have recommended that the Board authorize the President and CEO to enter into the two-year lease and the Board agrees.

      This decision will have a financial impact on ICANN, however, this impact was anticipated and allotted for in ICANN's FY14 budget. This decision is not anticipated to have any impact on the security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

    4. Approval of RSSAC Appointees

      Whereas, the ICANN Bylaws call for the establishment of a Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) with the role to advise the ICANN community and Board on matters relating to the operation, administration, security, and integrity of the Internet's Root Server System.

      Whereas, the RSSAC is submitting this recommendation to conform with the recently adopted Bylaws changes.

      Whereas, the proposed participants in the RSSAC have met and agreed to the present membership and selected Co-Chairs.

      Whereas, the Bylaws call for Board appointment of nominated RSSAC members and Co-Chairs.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.09), the Board appoints to the RSSAC the representatives for B root server operator, Bill Manning; C root server operator, Paul Vixie; K root server operator, Daniel Karrenberg; and M root server operator, Jun Murai to the Root Server System Advisory Committee for an initial one year term starting 1 July 2013, with the following terms to be for three-year appointments.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.10), the Board appoints to the RSSAC the representatives for A/J root server operator, Brad Verd; F root server operator, Suzanne Woolf; I root server operator, Lars-Johan Liman; and L root server operator, John Crain to the RSSAC for an initial two-year term starting 1 July 2013, with the following terms to be for three-year appointments.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.11), the Board appoints to the RSSAC the representatives for D root server operator, Tim Shortall; E root server operator, David Swager; G root server operator, Jim Cassel; and H root server operator, Howard Kash to the Root Server System Advisory Committee for an initial three-year term, with the following terms to be for three-year appointments.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.12), the Board appoints the nominated individuals Lars-Johan Liman and Jun Murai as the Co-Chairs of the RSSAC.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2013.07.18.09 – 2013.07.18.12

      In Resolution 2013.04.11.02, the ICANN Bylaws were amended to clarify the continuing purpose of the Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC). The Bylaws changes were recommended by the joint RSSAC-SIC Working Group formed to conclude the implementation of the RSSAC review WG final report: implementation steps [PDF, 445 KB], approved by the Board on 25 January 2011.

      In accordance with the resolution, the RSSAC has begun the process of reorganizing itself. In May 2013, the Root Server Operators (RSOs) agreed to an initial membership of RSO operator representatives and each RSO nominated an individual. This group met on 4 June 2013 to select Co-Chairs for the initial RSSAC members, and established working groups to further develop Operating Procedures and other key elements of the reorganization. This group has also given consideration to liaisons from ICANN constituencies, such as Security and the Stability Advisory Committee, and outside organizations such as the Internet Architecture Board.

      The Bylaws call for the Board to appoint the Co-Chairs as selected by the membership, and for the Co-Chairs to forward names for the membership of the RSSAC. In an effort to facilitate the RSSAC reorganization process, this resolution performs both functions for an initial set of members for RSSAC, with the expectation that additional members will be forwarded for approval in successive resolutions moving forward, including the IANA Functions Administrator, the IANA Functions Operator and the Root Zone Maintainer. As the Bylaws set out that the first full term under the new structure began on 1 July 2013, it is imperative to take action now to allow for the RSSAC to be properly comprised to serve its function within ICANN while continuing with the reorganization process.

      The appointment of these initial RSSAC members is not anticipated to have any fiscal impact on ICANN, though there are budgeted resources necessary for the development of the identified materials. The timely appointment of RSSAC members contributes to ICANN's being able to maintain and strengthen the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Function for which no public comment is required.

    5. Budget Approval Timing

      Whereas, the Resolutions 2013.05.18.02 and 2013.05.18.03 stated that the ICANN Board intended to approve the FY2014 Budget during the public meeting in Durban, South Africa and authorized the President and CEO to operate in a manner consistent with the Draft FY2014 Budget posted for public comment, respectively.

      Whereas, the public comment period for the Draft FY2014 Budget closed on 20 June 2013.

      Whereas, changes to the Draft FY2014 Budget posted for public comments have been identified subsequent to posting.

      Whereas, the ICANN Board sought comments on such changes during the public meeting in Durban, South Africa, and wishes to be able to review such comments prior to approving the FY2014 Budget.

      Whereas, the Board Finance Committee has recommended that the Board pass the two resolutions below.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.13), the ICANN Board intends to approve the FY2014 Budget after the Durban meeting and by no later than end of August 2013.

      Resolved (2013.07.18.14), for the period of time beginning on 1 July 2013 through the date that the Board approves the FY2014 Budget, the Board directs the President and CEO to operate ICANN in a manner consistent with the Draft FY2014 Budget that was posted for public comment.

      Rationale for Resolutions 2013.07.18.13 – 2013.07.18.14

      The public comment forum on the FY2014 Draft Budget closed on 20 June 2013. Since the FY2014 Budget was initially posted for public comment, additional items that should be included in the budget have been identified by staff and shared with the community on 5 July 2013.

      As the changes were not part of the Draft FY2014 Budget that was submitted for public comments, staff recommended to the Board Finance Committee (BFC) that community comments on the changes be gathered during the Durban meeting. To allow sufficient time for review of the comments received during the Durban meeting and for the Board consideration of such comments, staff recommended that the approval of the final FY2014 Budget, including the recommended changes from the Draft version, be delayed until after the Durban meeting.

      The BFC agreed and recommended that the Board resolve to approve the FY2014 Budget after the Durban meeting and by no later than by the end of August 2013. This action enhances ICANN's transparency and accountability to the community, and allows the Board sufficient time to consider all community inputs prior to taking a decision on the FY2014 Budget.

      In order to allow for ICANN to operate during the beginning of FY2014, beginning on 1 July 2013 through the date that the Board approves the FY2014 Budget, ICANN requires Board authorization. Therefore, the Board is authorizing the President and CEO to operate during this period in accordance with the FY2014 Budget that was posted for public comment. This action will allow for ICANN to maintain its current operations pending formal approval of the FY2014 Budget.

      The delay in approval of the budget, as it is accompanied with a measure to allow the operations of ICANN to continue, is not expected to have a material impact on the planned fiscal operations of the organization or the community. This decision will not have an impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the DNS.

      This is an Organizational Administrative Function of ICANN not requiring public comment.

    6. Thank you to Sponsors of Durban Meeting

      The Board wishes to thank the following sponsors: Afilias Limited, .ORG, The Public Interest Registry, Community.Asia, Iron Mountain, Neustar Inc., UniForum SA T/A ZA Central Registry, Freedom Registry B.V., PDR Solutions FZC, NCC Group, Radix FZC, Clearinghouse, Verisign, Inc., CentralNic, Africa.com, .CLUB Domains, LLC, ICANNWIKI, and our local sponsors, Neotel and MTN.

    7. Thank you to Interpreters, Staff and Event Teams of Durban Meeting

      The Board expresses its appreciation to the scribes, interpreters, technical teams, and the entire ICANN staff for their efforts in facilitating the smooth operation of the meeting.

      The Board would also like to thank the management and staff of the Durban International Convention Center for the wonderful facility to hold this event. Special thanks are given to Lee-Ann Dahl, Senior Sales and Events Coordinator, Durban International Convention Center, and Debbie de Villiers, Director, Terra Nova, for their support.

    8. Thank you to local hosts of Durban Meeting

      The Board wishes to extend its thanks to the local host organizer, ZADNA, for their support. Special thanks are given to Dr. Hasmukh Gajjar, Chairman; Mr. Lucky Masilela, Director & Chairman of the ICANN-47 Local Host Working Group; Mr. Vika Mpisane, General Manager; Mr. Neil Dundas, CEO, ZACR; Ms. Simla Budhu, Head of Policy, ZACR; and the ZADNA – ZACR ICANN-47 local host working group members. Thanks are also given to Mr. Ndabo Khoza, CEO, KZN Tourism; Ms. Sonto Mayise, KZN Convention Bureau; Mr. Jim Patterson, Director, Ms. Palesa Banda, Internet Security Director, and Mr. Ishmael Malebye, Deputy Director at the South African Department of Communications.

      The Board also thanks Dr. Hasmukh Gajjar, Chairperson, ZA Domain Name Authority Board (ZADNA), H.E. Dr. Elham Ibrahim, Commissioner, Infrastructure and Energy, African Union Commission, Mr. Lukonga Lindunda, Co-Founder and Director, BongoHive, Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor, and Dr. Hamadoun Touré, Secretary General, International Telecommunication Union, for their participation at the meeting.

  3. Main Agenda:

    1. Comment by Chair on IANA Department items approved by Board on 17 July 2013 – no resolution taken

    2. Thank You to Thomas Narten

      Whereas, Thomas Narten was appointed to serve as the IETF Liaison to the ICANN Board in July 2005.

      Whereas, Thomas has served as the IETF liaison each year since July 2005.

      Whereas, Thomas concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 18 July 2013.

      Whereas, Thomas has served as a member of the following Committees and Working Groups:

      • Public and Stakeholder Engagement Committee (formerly Public Participation Committee)
      • IANA Committee
      • Board IDN Variants Working Group
      • New gTLD Program Committee
      • Technical Relations Working Group
      • Working Group on Equivalent Strings Support
      • President's IANA Consultation Committee
      • Risk Committee

      Resolved (2013.07.18.15), Thomas Narten has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community.

Published on 18 July 2013