Call for Volunteers for Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team

DEADLINE EXTENDED – Applications to join the CCT Review Team are now due on 13 November 2015.

As part of its Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) requirements, ICANN is seeking volunteers to serve on the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team (CCT-RT). Candidates are asked to submit their applications to reviews@icann.org by 13 November 2015, 23:59 UTC.

Background

Signed in September 2009 by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and ICANN, the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) calls for periodic reviews of four key ICANN objectives:

• Ensuring accountability, transparency and the interests of global Internet users;
• Preserving security, stability and resiliency of the DNS;
• Promoting competition, consumer trust and consumer choice;
• WHOIS policy.

These community-led reviews are an important mechanism for furthering these objectives. To date, four reviews have been undertaken and completed:

• The First Accountability & Transparency Review Team (ATRT1) – final report delivered on 31 December 2010 and accepted by Board for implementation on 24 June 2011;
• The Security, Stability & Resiliency of the DNS Review Team (SSR) – final report delivered on 21 June 2012 and accepted by the Board for implementation on 18 October 2012;
• The WHOIS Policy Review Team (WHOIS) – final report delivered on 11 May 2012 and accepted by the Board for implementation on 8 November 2012; and
• The Second Accountability & Transparency Review Team (ATRT2) - final report delivered on 31 December 2013 and accepted by the Board for implementation on 26 June 2014.

The AoC specifies that the review will be organized if and when new gTLDs have been in operation for one year. Under this timeline, the CCT-RT is now ready to commence, with this Call for Volunteers.

Mandate

The CCT Review Team’s mandate under the AoC is to “examine the extent to which the introduction or expansion of gTLDs has promoted competition, consumer trust and consumer choice, as well as effectiveness of (a) the application and evaluation process, and (b) safeguards put in place to mitigate issues involved in the introduction or expansion.”

Call for Volunteers to Submit Applications

This call is intended for individuals interested in applying for a position of Volunteer Review Team Member, in representation of a Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee, and/or as an Independent Expert.

Selection

Selection of the members of the Review Teams will be made jointly by the Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and by the CEO of ICANN, as mandated by section 9.3 of the Affirmation of Commitments. The names of the Review Team members will be publicly posted once the review team is constituted.

Targeted Timeline

Call for volunteers published	1 October 2015
Deadline to apply for Review Team	13 November 2015
Publication of Applicants	16 November 2015
Deadline for SO/AC Endorsements	14 17 December 2015 (Deadline extended 23 November to xxx)
Review Team selected and announced	Late December 2015
1st Review Team meeting	Early January 2016
Final report issued	December 2016

Time Commitment

Applicants should be prepared to devote substantial time to the review process. Review Team work is expected to include regular conference calls, some of which may not be held during business hours in all time zones; possible face-to-face meetings in addition to ICANN meetings.

Compensation

CCT Review Team members will not be remunerated. However, travel, meal and lodging costs for appointed members and independent experts to participate in Review Team meetings will be reimbursed upon request in accordance with ICANN's community travel support guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Participate in creation of charter documents for the Review Team;
• Select appropriate performance indicators and benchmarks, including considering those recommended by the IAG-CCT, and those on which data has already been collected;
• Apply best practices designed to simplify and increase the effectiveness of Reviews as expressed in Reviews Policies, Procedures and Guidelines¹;
• Consider public, community and Board input and incorporate it as appropriate in Review Team recommendations;
• Determine whether additional data or analysis is needed and participate in an ensuing provider selection, if necessary;
• Provide timely updates to the community on the status of the Review Team’s work;
• Analyze findings;
• Draw conclusions based on findings, develop useful and feasible recommendations;
• Provide guidance on prioritization of recommendations and definition of desired outcomes;
• Provide draft conclusions for input from community, staff and Board;
• Deliver a final Review Team report;
• Designate Review Team members to participate in the implementation planning work that follows the delivery of the final Review Team report

Knowledge and Experience

To compose a well-balanced Review Team, ICANN seeks members who, in the aggregate, possess the following knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of ICANN and its working practices and culture, including the New gTLD Program;
• Familiarity with the multistakeholder model and procedures;
• Expertise in consumer protection matters;
• Understanding of the New gTLD rights application processes and protection mechanisms;
• Expertise in or knowledge of mitigating DNS and potential security threats;
• Experience in evaluating competition and market forces in the gTLD space or in other industries;
• Expertise in quantitative analysis and information systems;
• Expertise in or knowledge of intellectual property rights protection;
• Knowledge of competition, consumer choice and consumer trust in the domain name or other marketplaces; and
• Capacity to draw fact-based conclusions and feasible and useful recommendations.

Composition of the Review Team will aim to achieve:

• Geographic diversity;
• Broad representation of communities impacted by new gTLDs; and
• Diversity in general.

Recently implemented process improvements strive to ensure that volunteers' skills and expertise are well aligned with the requirements for a given review. The membership will be aligned to the needs of this review based on the scope, with an eye toward more focused teams.

Desired Attributes

Applicants should possess the following professional and personal attributes:

• Team spirit, adaptability, consensus-seeking attitude;
• Willingness to learn;
• Capacity to reason objectively, putting aside personal opinions or preconceptions; and
• Analytical skills.

Methodology, Budget & Support

The methodology for conducting this review is determined by the Review Team in line with good practices used to conduct performance assessments for broadly similar organizations. To improve planning and budgeting of volunteer time and ICANN resources, a clear and focused Review scope will be developed during the planning phase. The methodology and scope of work will be reviewed with the Board for alignment with overall ICANN work.

In line with the recommendations from the Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team, ICANN will provide the Review Team with a clearly articulated review budget and assumptions at the start. Throughout the review, there will be periodic reporting on the progress relative to planned schedule and budget. The clear and focused review scope is expected to assist the review Team with prioritizing recommendations in order to optimize finite ICANN resources (time and budget).

ICANN staff support will be made available to the Review Team. Support could include assistance with project management, organization of work, documents and activities, as well as sharing of tools and best practices for conducting an effective review.

External expertise may be provided upon request, bounded by the applicable budget.

English is the working language of the Review Team. Key communications and documents will be translated in accordance with the ICANN Language Services policies.

How to Apply for the Position of Volunteer Review Team Member or Independent Expert

Interested individuals are invited to provide the following:

• A resume (maximum three pages), detailing relevant work and/or academic experience, as well as subject matter knowledge;
• A letter of motivation detailing your interest in serving on the Review Team and what you will bring to the team. Please include any experience participating in previous ICANN reviews;
• A Statement of Interest; [DOCX, 12.2 KB]
• The desired position (a representative of an SO/AC, an independent expert). Should an applicant wish to be considered for more than one position, the order of preference should be specified.
• If you are applying to serve as a volunteer member, name the Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee you wish to represent;
• Any additional information the Supporting Organization orAdvisory Committeemay require to reach its decision on endorsement. Candidatures will be forwarded to the Supporting Organization (SO) or Advisory Committee (AC) identified by the applicant, for endorsement. SO/AC endorsement will be factored into the selection process;
• If you are applying to serve as an independent expert, please provide references for your field of expertise.

Applications should be emailed to reviews@icann.org.

The list of all candidates and their applications will be published on the ICANN website.

Deadline

The deadline to submit applications is13 November 2015 at 23:59 UTC.

Contact

Please contact Margie Milam at margie.milam@icann.org or Karen Lentz Karen.lentz@icann.org with any questions.

---

¹ Currently under development – See Board Resolution 2015.07.28.14