ICANN POLICY UPDATE | Volume 12, Issue 4 – May 2012
PDF Version [680 KB]
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/policy/
CONTENTS:
Across ICANN
ccNSO
- Curaçao, Palestinian Territory and Sint Maarten Join ccNSO
- First Look at ccNSO Prague Meeting Agenda
- Tips Available for Making Effective Presentations
- ccNSO Gets Friendly on Facebook
GNSO
- UK's National Physical Laboratory to Conduct Whois Privacy, Proxy Abuse Study
- Board Adopts Last Recommendation of Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B
ASO
At-Large
- ALAC Approves Numerous Statements in Response to Public Comments
- Review of ALAC Rule of Procedures, Performance Indicators Begins
- Quick and Easy Translation Tool Installed on the At-Large Community Wiki Pages
SSAC
GAC
Read in Your Preferred Language
ICANN Policy Update is available in all six official languages of the United Nations. Policy Update is posted on ICANN's web site and available via online subscription. To receive the Update in your Inbox each month, visit the ICANN subscriptions page, enter your e-mail address, and select "Policy Update" to subscribe. This service is free.
ICANN Policy Update statement of purpose
Send questions, comments and suggestions to: policy-staff@icann.org
Policy Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees
| Address Supporting Organization | ASO |
| Country Code Names Supporting Organization | ccNSO |
| Generic Names Supporting Organization | GNSO |
| At-Large Advisory Committee | ALAC |
| Governmental Advisory Committee | GAC |
| Root Server System Advisory Committee | RSSAC |
| Security and Stability Advisory Committee | SSAC |
Across ICANN
1. New Remote Participation Records Set at ICANN 43
At a Glance
Remote participation at ICANN's Public Meeting in Costa Rica set a new record. Approximately 90 people attended the Newcomers' Track programs on Sunday. The Public Forum agenda included input from ICANN community leaders, and was published a week before the meeting.
Recent Developments
Remote Participation – All 11 physical meeting rooms used during ICANN's 43rd Public Meeting in Costa Rica offered remote participation services through Adobe Connect. These are now among the regular and default services provided during the ICANN Meetings. A total of 5609 connections were made through Adobe Connect, surpassing the previous high of 5159 at ICANN 42 in Dakar.
The Costa Rica meeting also surpassed on-site attendance figures for the previous ICANN meeting in the Latin American and Caribbean region in 2010 in Cartagena, Colombia. A total of 1026 people attended the Cartagena meeting on-site, and remote participation numbers were considered to be high with a total of 2821 Adobe Connections.
These numbers reflect increasing interest in ICANN Public Meetings and a strong correlation between increased remote participation and increased usage of remote participation tools.
| MP3 Streaming Statistics by Meeting | |||||
| Language | English | Spanish | French | Other | Total MP3 |
| Cartagena | 1489 | 223 | 61 | 0 | 1773 |
| San Francisco | 2403 | 518 | 444 | 0 | 3365 |
| Singapore | 2417 | 316 | 1026 | 338 | 4097 |
| Dakar | 1666 | 1177 | 341 | 8 | 3192 |
| San Jose | 1497 | 395 | 563 | 81 | 2536 |
Figure 1 - Adobe Connect Connections
Also, remote participants submitted more questions and comments during the community Public Forum in Costa Rica than ever before.
| ICANN 40: Silicon Valley/ San Francisco | ICANN 41: Singapore | ICANN 42: Dakar | ICANN 43: Costa Rica | |
| No. of remote questions and comments | 3 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
While this increase can be attributed to better remote participation services, staff believes it is also related to the early publishing effort of the Public Forum agenda during the last three Public Meetings.
Newcomers' Program – The total number of Newcomers (including first-, second-, and third-timers) at the Costa Rica meeting was recorded at 421, and the approximate number of those using the Newcomers' Lounge was 140 registered participants.
The Newcomers' Lounge was available to participants for a total of 53 hours over the meeting week: Saturday, 10 March (0900-1800) and Sunday, 11 March to Wednesday, 14 March (0700–1800).
About 90 people attended the Newcomers' Sunday Tracks, and 15 percent participated to the sessions remotely. The Costa Rica Newcomers' Sunday Tracks included the following topics:
- Welcome to ICANN: Overview of ICANN, mission, how it is structured, community groups and their interests, some tips on how to navigate through the ICANN meeting week.
- Ombudsman 101: Role of the Ombudsman.
- Policy Update: The activities of the Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations, including an overview of the topics to be discussed through out the week.
- New gTLD Program and Registries Overview: The basics of Registries and the New gTLD Program.
- Contractual Compliance at ICANN: What Contractual Compliance does, how it is structured and staffed, how it ensures and enforces registry and registrar compliance, and what it means and why it matters within the ICANN's multi-stakeholder model.
- Introduction to Remote Participation: ICANN's remote participation goals and services.
- Basic Training on ICANN's Community Wiki: Basic information on Community wiki's, how to join, how to use them for what purpose.
Other highlights:
Participants in Costa Rica Newcomers' activities were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their experience.
- 95 percent of the survey responders found the Newcomers' Tracks on Sunday geared well to those new to the ICANN experience.
- 93 percent of the survey responders were satisfied with overall help and service they received at the Newcomers' Lounge.
- Three newcomers were interviewed, unprompted, about their experience, and were very complimentary about the Newcomers' Program. The video is still being edited, but will be available and posted soon.
The Newcomers' Sunday Track will be repeated in Prague. Training session topics and content will be adjusted based on feedback received in Costa Rica.
Public Forum: ICANN staff worked with ICANN community leaders to develop the Public Forum agenda. Community members seemed to really appreciate this new approach.
ICANN staff continues to work with the Community to balance the desire for the agenda's early publication with the challenge of ensuring ample time for the Community to indicate which topics they would like to see on the agenda, which often become clearer closer to the meeting time. Publishing the agenda about a week prior to the Public Forum helps increase community awareness and seems to allow participants to prepare their remarks. This improves the quality and quantity of the participation during the forum.
Staff Contact
Filiz Yilmaz, Senior Director, Participation and Engagement
2. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment
Numerous public comment periods are currently open on issues of interest to the ICANN community. Act now to share your views on such topics as:
- Second Annual IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process Review. Community members, particularly those who were directly involved in the process this year, can provide feedback on their experiences. Reply period closes 21 May 2012.
- .post Agreement Amendment. The Universal Postal Union requests the ability to register previously reserved IANA domain strings at the second level. Reply period closes 30 May 2012.
- ICANN Draft FY13 Operating Plan and Budget. How shall ICANN allocate resources for the coming year? Comment period closes 24 May 2012.
- IDN Variant TLD Program – Revised Program Plan. ICANN reorganized and reprioritized the program plan based on community feedback. Comment period closes 25 May 2012.
For the full list of issues open for public comment, plus recently closed and archived public comment forums, visit the Public Comment web page.
ccNSO
3. Curaçao, Palestinian Territory and Sint Maarten Join ccNSO
At a Glance
The country code operators for Curaçao, Palestinian Territory and the Dutch part of Sint Maarten were approved as members of the ccNSO.
Recent Developments
University of Netherlands Antilles, the ccTLD operator of .cw (Curaçao), the Ministry Of Telecommunications & Information Technology; Government Computer Center and the Ministry of Infrastructure Information and Technology Division, the manager of the .ps (Palestinian Territory) ccTLD; and SX Registry SA, the ccTLD operator of .sx (Sint Maarten) have joined as the latest ccNSO members.
There are now a total of 130 ccNSO members.
Next Steps
The ccNSO is looking forward to fruitful cooperation with the new members.
Background
Since the beginning of 2012, six new members joined the ccNSO. It now counts 130 members.
More Information
- Announcement .SX joining the ccNSO
- Announcement .CW joining the ccNSO
- Announcement .PS joining the ccNSO
- List of ccNSO Members
- Application archives
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
4. First Look at ccNSO Prague Meeting Agenda
At a Glance
The ccNSO website now includes the draft meeting agenda for the ccNSO meeting during the ICANN Public Meeting in Prague.
Recent Developments
The ccNSO Programme Working Group published the first draft agenda for the ICANN Public Meeting in Prague. The traditional panel discussion on Wednesday afternoon will deal with Internet Governance. A session on New gTLDs is also included in the schedule.
Next Steps
Updates to the draft agenda are made continuously, so check back frequently for the latest.
Background
Everyone is welcome to attend the ccNSO Members meeting!
More Information
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
5. Tips Available for Making Effective Presentations.
At a Glance
Improve your presentations with new ccNSO Presenter Guidelines, now posted online.
Recent Developments
In order to ensure a high quality of presentations at the ccNSO meetings, the ccNSO Programme Working Group drafted a set of guidelines with hints and tricks that can be useful when giving presentations.
Next Steps
ccNSO presenters will be encouraged to read the guidelines before preparing a presentation.
Background
The Programme Working Group researched how to support ccNSO speakers to ensure a high quality of presentations.
More Information
- ccNSO Speaker Guidelines [PDF, 73 KB]
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
6. ccNSO Gets Friendly on Facebook
At a Glance
Join the ccNSO on Facebook for updates and networking.
Recent Developments
The ccNSO now has its own Facebook page.
Next Steps
Friends and "Likes" are very welcome!
Background
This initiative derives from discussions within the ccNSO Programme Working Group on how to engage people more in the ccNSO meetings; how to create awareness of what's on the Meeting agenda and to be able to have a useful "instant" research tool on how the sessions are perceived (it will be used to find out how people liked the sessions "live" in Prague.) There are other positive benefits, too – it provides a more relaxed forum for ccTLDs to share information and thoughts on various topics and developments.
More Information
Staff Contact
Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat
GNSO
7. UK’s National Physical Laboratory to Conduct Whois Privacy, Proxy Abuse Study
At a Glance
"Whois" is the data repository containing registered domain names, registrant contacts and other critical information. The GNSO Council is proceeding with several studies to provide current, reliable information for community discussions about Whois.
Recent Developments
ICANN has engaged the National Physical Laboratory of the United Kingdom to conduct the Whois Proxy and Privacy Services Abuse Study. It will focus on the extent to which domain names used to conduct illegal or harmful Internet activities are registered via privacy or proxy services to obscure the perpetrator's identity.
More Information
- GNSO Whois policy development page
- Background on Whois Studies
- Inventory of Whois Service Requirements – Final Report [PDF, 651 KB]
- 28 April Resolution on Whois Studies
- 6 October GNSO Council Resolution approving the Charter for a Whois Service Requirements Survey Working Group
Staff Contact
Liz Gasster, Senior Policy Counselor
8. Board Adopts Last Recommendation of Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy Part B
At a Glance
The ICANN Board adopted the last remaining recommendation of the IRTP Part B Policy Development Process. It endorses the standardization and clarification of Whois status messages regarding Registrar Lock status.
Recent Developments and Next Steps
At its meeting on 6 May, the ICANN Board adopted a recommendation to require registrars to provide more detail within Whois status messages regarding Registrar Lock status.
Previously, when a Whois lookup was conducted, different status codes were associated with a domain name registration such as "clientTransferProhibited" or "clientUpdateProhibited." However, no further explanation was provided concerning what these status codes mean or how these can be changed.
With the Board's action, registrars will be required to display a link to information on each status code directly next to the status in the output, for example: "Status: ClientLock http://www.internic.net/status/html/clientlock." This link connects to an ICANN-controlled webpage where the relevant status code information as described in the "EPP Status Codes, what do they mean and why should I know?" is posted.
ICANN will also post translations of the status information. The web page can make use of localization information from the browser the user employs to display the web page in the related language. In addition to the link, registrars will be required to include in the Whois output a note that states "For more information on Whois status codes, please visit Internic.net" where the link to the information will be posted. ICANN staff will develop an implementation plan for these Recommendations and continue communication with the community on such work.
Background
The aim of the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) is to provide a straightforward procedure for domain name holders to transfer their names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another.
The IRTP is a GNSO consensus policy that was adopted in 2004 with the objective to provide registrants with a transparent and predictable way to transfer domain name registrations between registrars. As part of its implementation, it was decided to carry out a review of the policy in order to determine whether it was working as intended or whether there are any areas that would benefit from further clarification or improvement. As a result of this review, a number of issues were identified that were grouped together in five different policy development processes or PDPs, titled A to E, that are being addressed in a consecutive order.
More Information
IRTP Part B:
- Board Resolution
- ICANN Staff Proposal on IRTP Part B Recommendation #8 [PDF, 295 KB]
- IRTP Part B Final Report [PDF, 995 KB]
- ICANN Start podcast: audio explanation of IRTP Part B [MP3, 18 MB]
Staff Contact
Marika Konings, Senior Policy Director
ASO
9. ICANN Board Ratifies Policy Proposal for Recovered IPv4 Address Blocks
At a Glance
The ICANN Board at its 6 May meeting ratified a policy proposal developed by consensus among the five Regional Internet Registries for handling IPv4 address space returned from the RIRs to IANA.
Recent Developments
The ICANN Board approved a proposal originated by APNIC and adopted by all five RIRs on the allocation of recovered IPv4 address space. Prior to being considered by the Board, it was posted for public comment and reviewed by the Number Resource Organization Executive Committee and the Address Supporting Organization Address Council.
In the approved new process, IANA will establish and administer a pool of returned address space to be allocated to all RIRs simultaneously in equal blocks of smaller size than the traditional /8. Pool size permitting, allocations will occur every six months.
Next Steps
IANA will implement the policy.
Background
IPv4 is the Internet Protocol addressing system used to allocate unique IP address numbers in 32-bit format. With the massive growth of the Internet user population, the pool of unique numbers (approximately 4.3 billion) has been depleted and a 128-bit numbering system (IPv6) is taking its place.
More Information
- Board Resolution
- A Background Report for the third proposal now approved by the Board is posted on the ICANN web site.
- Posting of the third proposal for public comments
Staff Contact
Olof Nordling, Director, Services Relations
At-Large
10. ALAC Approves Numerous Statements in Response to Public Comments
At a Glance
During April and early May, the ALAC submitted eight statements in various ICANN public comment fora. This high rate of statements is due, in part, to the increasing activity of At-Large Working Groups and At-Large activity in cross-community Working Groups. The ALAC is preparing several additional statements in response to currently open public comments.
Recent Developments
The ALAC statements submitted since 1 April are:
- ALAC Statement on the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Variant Issues Project (VIP) Proposed Project Plan for Next Steps
- ALAC Statement on the ICANN Board Conflicts of Interest Review - Revised Conflicts of Interest Policy and Related Governance Documents
- ALAC Statement on the Fake Renewal Notices Report
- ALAC Statement on the .com Registry Agreement Renewal
- ALAC Statement on the Verisign Request to Implement Redemption Grace Period (RGP) for .name
- ALAC Statement on the Draft Advice Letter on Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice, and Competition
- ALAC Statement on the Security, Stability & Resiliency of the DNS Review Team (SSR RT) - Draft Report
- ALAC Statement on the ICANN Board Conflicts of Interest Review - Revised Conflicts of Interest Policy and Related Governance Documents
More Information
- All ALAC statements may be viewed on the At-Large Correspondence page
Staff Contact
Heidi Ullrich, Director for At-Large
11. Review of ALAC Rule of Procedures, Performance Indicators Begins
At a Glance
Representatives of the five Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) are actively participating in the At-Large Rules of Procedure (ROP) Working Group. The group is analyzing the ALAC Rules of Procedure with the aim of harmonizing the ALAC rules with the realities currently faced by the ALAC and the At-Large community. The adoption of modifications to the ALAC rules is a bottom-up endeavor, with direct participation of members from At-Large Structures (ALSes) of all five RALOs and duly accredited individual Internet users. These activities are part of the ALAC/At-Large Improvements Implementation Project.
The RALOs are also actively engaged in the ALAC Metrics Sub-Committee. This Sub-Committee was also created as part of the ALAC/At-Large Improvements Project and is a Sub-Committee of the ROP Working Group. The ALAC Metrics Sub-Committee is conducting a review of the ALAC Member, RALO Member and ALS performance metrics. Cheryl Langdon-Orr is the Chair of the ROP WG and ALAC Metrics Sub-Committee.
By engaging in these activities, the ALAC and At-Large community aims to streamline its processes to facilitate discussions among its members and focus its strategies to achieve better outputs and optimize the internet user's participation in ICANN's multistakeholder model.
Recent Developments
The Rules of Procedure Working Group and the Metrics Working Group held meetings in April and May 2012. Discussions included matters of background and the history of rules and rule versions in At-Large and ALAC. The ROP WG is conducting an analysis of the current rules section by section with options for new sections to be added, as well as integration and synthesis opportunities. During the 44th ICANN Meeting in Prague, the At-Large ROP WG will decide under which mechanisms the group will report and monitor its progress. Work will focus on the use of the community wiki as a tool for review (with a general suggestions page to be created as a catch-all space) and with all sections at least initially being analyzed and commented on in parallel. The review will include consideration of the role, selection process and term length of the ALAC Chair and Vice Chairs. The review is being performed taking into account the ICANN Bylaws.
The Metrics Sub-Committee has a work plan with three phases, focusing first on ALAC Member Metrics, followed by an analysis of the ALS and continuing with RALO Leadership expectations.
Members from both the ROPs and Metrics Sub-Committee have attended the meetings and more are scheduled to take place on a rotating basis.
More Information
The ROP WG and Metrics Sub-Committee Workspaces may be viewed on the following community wiki pages:
Staff Contact
Silvia Vivanco, Manager Regional Affairs
12. Quick and Easy Translation Tool Installed on the At-Large Community Wiki Pages
At a Glance
Working with the Chair of the At-Large Technology Taskforce, ICANN staff has installed an automatic translation tool on the At-Large community wiki pages, which quickly and easily translates the entire page into one of several languages. This translation tool (placed at the top of each wiki page directly underneath the title) will make community wiki pages, including the comment sections, more widely available in a large choice of languages.
Recent Developments
The installation of a translation tool on the At-Large community wiki pages comes at a time when the At-Large community is actively engaging in numerous new working groups, including the Rules of Procedure Working Group and the ALAC Metrics Sub-Committee. The efforts of many current Working Groups are very detailed. Much work is conducted through comments posted on wiki pages. The ability of individual community members to read the contents of these pages in their language of choice greatly increases the ability of all members to contribute to the groups' activities.
More Information
Staff Contact
ICANN Policy Staff in support of ALAC
SSAC
13. Issues Active in the SSAC
GAC
14. Where to Find GAC Information
At a Glance
ICANN receives input from governments through the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). The GAC's key role is to provide advice to ICANN on issues of public policy, and especially where there may be an interaction between ICANN's activities or policies and national laws or international agreements. The GAC usually meets three times a year in conjunction with ICANN meetings, where it discusses issues with the ICANN Board and other ICANN Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees and other groups. The GAC may also discuss issues between times with the Board either through face-to-face meetings or by teleconference.
More Information
Staff Contact
Jeannie Ellers, ICANN staff
update-may12-en.pdf [680 KB]