[kictanet] ICANN and Its Responsibilities to the Global PublicInterest

[Harry Delano]

Thanks McTim,

For all these updates, including the latest on ICANN...

It's important to note how thorough these deliberations are carried out by
the board, with 
all due sensitivity and openness..

This is the way to go...

Harry

-----Original Message-----
From: McTim [mailto:dogwallah at gmail.com] 
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 10:55 PM
To: harry at comtelsys.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICANN and Its Responsibilities to the Global
PublicInterest

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 10:31 PM, Harry Delano <harry at comtelsys.co.ke>
wrote:
>
> Thanks Alice for this objective assessment.

It is fairly objective considering the source is the CEO of a company whose
future is directly tied to the domain name industry.

>
> It's indeed a delicate balancing act for ICANN, and we can only hope 
> it lives up to serving the common global good for the sake of all..
>
> Again reminds me, - ICANN is coming to Town in about 4wks. What is the 
> latest..?

Schedule is supposed to be online in 4 days...meanwhile, there are some
nuggets hidden away in here.....


Preliminary Report of Special Board Meeting

4 February 2010

[Formal Minutes are still to be approved by the ICANN Board]

Note: This has not been approved by the Board and does not constitute
minutes but does provide a preliminary attempt setting forth the unapproved
reporting of the resolutions from that meeting. Details on voting and
abstentions will be provided in the Board's Minutes, when approved by the
board at a future meeting.

A Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors was held via
teleconference 4 February 2010 @ 03.00 UTC. Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush
promptly called the meeting to order.

In addition to Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush the following Directors
participated in all or part of the meeting: Rod Beckstrom (President and
CEO), Dennis Jennings (Vice Chairman), Harald Tveit Alvestrand, Steve
Crocker, Gonzalo Navarro, Rita Rodin Johnston, Raymond A. Plzak, George
Sadowsky, Mike Silber, Jean-Jacques Subrenat, Bruce Tonkin, and Katim
Touray.

The following Board Liaisons participated in all or part of the
meeting: Janis Karklins, GAC Liaison; Thomas Narten, IETF Liaison; Jonne
Soininen, TLG Liaison; and Vanda Scartezini, ALAC Liaison.

Raimundo Beca; Ram Mohan, SSAC Liaison; Rajasekhar Ramaraj; and Suzanne
Woolf, RSSAC Liaison sent apologies.

This is a preliminary report of the approved resolutions resulting from the
Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors, which took place on 4
January 2010.

   1. Consent Agenda
         1. Minutes of 9 December 2009 Meeting

RESOLVED (2010.02.04.01) the Board hereby approves the minutes of the
9 December 2009 Board Meeting.

         1. Minutes of 22 January 2010 Meeting

RESOLVED (2010.02.04.02) the Board hereby approves the minutes of the
22 January 2010 Board Meeting.

         1. puntCAT Contract Amendment re One and Two Character Names

Whereas, Fundacio puntCAT has submitted a request pursuant to ICANN's
Registry Services Evaluation Policy to amend the .CAT Registry Agreements to
allocate one and two-character domain names via a request for proposals
process to members of the Catalan cultural and linguistic community.

Whereas, the proposed release of single and two-character domain names in
.CAT would be consistent with the recommendations of the GNSO Reserved Names
Working Group and other approvals to permit the release of one and
two-character domain names.

Whereas, ICANN has evaluated the proposed amendment to the .CAT Registry
Agreement as new registry services pursuant to the Registry Services
Evaluation Policy and has posted amendments for public comment and Board
approval (http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/).

It is hereby RESOLVED (2010.02.04.03) that the .CAT amendment is approved,
and the President and General Counsel are authorized to take such actions as
appropriate to implement the amendments.

         1. Recommendation from Finance Committee regarding FY10 Budget

Whereas, in accordance with its commitments made at the time of adoption of
the FY10 budget, the BFC has reviewed the results of financial operations
for ICANN through December 2009, as well as the forecasts for FY10;

Whereas the extra pressures on the FY10 budget are acknowledged and based
upon reasonable underlying causes;

Whereas the BFC directed staff to develop a plan for widespread and extra
cost containment efforts, and has reviewed that plan;

Whereas the BFC has indicated the cost containment efforts should not
include the cutting back on essential ICANN services;

Whereas the risks of FY10 budget overrun have been assessed and acknowledged
;

It is hereby RESOLVED (2004.02.04.04) that the Board authorizes the CEO and
his designated staff to approve the release of the $1.5 million from the
existing FY10 budget contingency line item for FY10 operating expenses;

It is hereby RESOLVED (2004.02.04.05) that the Board requests the CEO and
his designated staff to closely monitor expenditures and forecasts for FY10,
ensuring that ICANN essential services are not affected, and work with the
BFC on plans and alternatives as required.

Resolutions 2009.02.04.01; 2009.02.04.02; 2009.02.04.03; 2009.02.04.04 and
2009.02.04.05 were approved in a single vote approving the consent agenda
items. All Board Members present unanimously approved these resolutions.

   1. Main Board Meeting:
         1. .IN Redelegation Request

Whereas, .IN is the ISO 3166-1 two-letter country-code designated for India.
Whereas, ICANN has received a request for redelegation of .IN to the
National Internet Exchange of India.

Whereas, ICANN has reviewed the request, and has determined that the
proposed redelegation would be in the interests of the local and global
Internet communities.

It is hereby RESOLVED (2010.02.04.06), that the proposed redelegation of the
.IN domain to the National Internet Exchange of India is approved.

All Board members present unanimously approved of this resolution.

         1. President's Report

The Board received a report on from the President and CEO on staff activity
since the Board's meeting in December, including various outreach events
attended by the President and CEO.

         1. Approval of Strategic Plan for 2010

The Board received an update from staff on the work to date on the ICANN
Strategic Plan for 2010, including the incorporation of community and Board
comments on prior versions. The Board discussed potential minor revisions to
be included in the final version.

The Board then took the following action:

Whereas, ICANN's July 2010 through June 2013 Strategic Plan seeks to provide
four areas of high level strategic focus for ICANN;

Whereas, ICANN's July 2010 through June 2013 Strategic Plan identifies in
addition to four areas of focus, enablers across all areas to reflect
ICANN's responsibilities towards a multi-stakeholder model, collaboration,
and being international, transparent and accountable;

Whereas, ICANN's July 2010 through June 2013 Strategic Plan captures
strategic objectives and strategic projects, details of community work and
staff work will be reflected in the operational plan;

Whereas, ICANN's Strategic Plan is based on input from the ICANN Board of
Directors, public consultations on ICANN's website, presentations at ICANN
Seoul meeting, and to constituency groups, and a survey with the community;

Whereas, the 2010-2013 Strategic Plan describes four strategic initiatives,
and principal work areas under these initiatives;

Whereas, measurements and metrics will be addressed by staff in consultation
with the community, as part of the operational planning process and further
integration into the next Strategic Planning cycle;

Whereas, the Strategic Plan will form the framework around which the July
2010 through June 2011 Operational Plan and the associated budget are
constructed.

Whereas, members of the community have been very generous with their time
and the Board appreciates the work that they have done.

It is hereby RESOLVED (2010.02.04.07) the Board approves the July 2010-June
2013 Strategic Plan, and directs the President and staff to move forward
with the community-based Operational planning process based on the strategic
objectives as set forth in the plan.  Minor edits will be provided to staff
by the Board before close of business on Monday 8 February 2010, final
changes will be subject to the Chairman's final approval.

All Board members present unanimously approved of this resolution.

         1. Adoption of Event Security Risk, Contracts and Cancellation
Management Policy

The Board received an update from the President and CEO on the proposal to
create a more formalized process for assessing security risks for ICANN
events.

The Board discussed the proposal and then took the following action:

RESOLVED (2010.02.04.08), the ICANN Board directs the ICANN Staff (through
the CEO) to monitor, review and regularly report to the community, where
possible, the United Nations Security Plan Phase Designations, relating to
all ICANN International Meetings.

RESOLVED (2010.02.04.09), the ICANN Board directs ICANN Staff (through the
CEO) to consider the "Phase Two" or higher designation as a possible
rationale for cancelling any ICANN International Meeting.

RESOLVED (2010.02.04.10), the ICANN Board directs ICANN Staff (through the
CEO) to consider the United Nations Security "Phase One"
designation as a triggering event for review, along with other factors, of
the safety and security of holding any ICANN International Meeting.

All Board members present unanimously approved of this resolution.

         1. New gTLDs
               1. Expressions of Interest in new gTLDs

The Board received an update from the staff on the work done in response to
the Board's 9 December 2009 resolution on Expressions of Interest.

The Board then discussed that additional community consultation may be of
benefit, as noted in some of the comments received urging community dialog
on the issue in Nairobi.

The Board then took the following action:

Whereas, deferring an ICANN Board decision on the proposed plan for
obtaining Expressions of Interest in new gTLDs until the ICANN International
Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2010 will only cause a three-week
modification to the timeline proposed by staff.

It is RESOLVED (2010.02.04.11), ICANN Board adjourns with making a motion
with respect to the approval of the Expressions of Interest in new gTLDs
until the Board meeting at the ICANN International Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya
in March 2010. The Board has a goal of making a decision on the Expressions
of Interest at its Board meeting in Nairobi.

It is further RESOLVED (2010.02.04.12), the ICANN Board directs staff to
produce a summary of the major issues identified in the public comment on
the Expressions of Interest proposal, as well as an explanation of how those
issues will be dealt with if ICANN proceeds with Expressions of Interest.

It is further RESOLVED (2010.02.04.13), the ICANN Board directs staff to
schedule a forum at the ICANN International Meeting in Nairobi for the
discussion of the Expressions of Interest proposal, including the receipt of
community input.

One Board member abstained from voting on these resolutions. All other Board
members in attendance approved of these resolutions.

               1. Relaxing 3-Character Requirement for gTLDs

The Board received an update from staff regarding the posting of the Final
Report on the three-character requirement for gTLDs.

         1. Update on ICANN Proposed Security Initiatives in Response to
Affirmation and IANA Contract Requirements

The Board received an update from staff on the ongoing work within the IANA
functions department on proposed security initiatives.

         1. Recommendation from Board Governance Committee for Consideration
of Board Chairman Remuneration

The Chair ceded the leadership of this discussion to the Vice Chair of the
Board, and removed himself from deliberation on this item.

The Board discussed the need to receive more information to allow for full
consideration of the remuneration matter, and addressed the feasibility of
separating the discussion of remuneration of the Board Chairman from the
discussion of remuneration of the Board as a whole.

Whereas, significant discussion and analysis has been conducted relating to
whether remuneration of the Board Chairman should be considered;

Whereas, the Board has discussed the idea and has determined that it shall
further consider whether Board Chairman remuneration is appropriate and
later consider whether full Board remuneration is appropriate;

Whereas, additional work, research and analysis should be commissioned to
inform the Board's consideration of Board Chairman remuneration, including
an updated discussion of the associated risks;

It is hereby RESOLVED (2010.02.04.14) that remuneration of the Board
Chairman is worthy of further consideration.

It is hereby further RESOLVED (2010.02.04.15) that the Board Governance
Committee develop a plan and request that the CEO direct the General Counsel
to commission additional work, research and analysis of the issue of Board
Chairman remuneration, including an updated discussion of associated risks,
for consideration by the BGC and then presentation to the Board for further
consideration.

One Board member opposed these resolutions. Two Board members abstained from
voting on these resolutions. All other members of the Board in attendance
approved of these resolutions, and the resolutions were carried.

         1. ICANN Media Relations Report

The Board received a short update from the President and CEO on ICANN's
media relations planning. The President and CEO noted that communications
outside of the United States is an important focus of this work.

         1. Recommendations of Ombudsman File 09-58

The Board discussed the Ombudsman File 09-58, the conduct of the
investigation, and the focus on civility within ICANN, and the need for
awareness of cultural and gender issues to provide for better opportunities
for participation.

The Board then took the following action:

Whereas, the Board thanks the Ombudsman for his report on File 09-58
addressing civility issues within ICANN related meetings and discussions;

Whereas, the Board notes that there is ongoing work within ICANN to enhance
civility among ICANN participants, and that this topic is of high value to
the ICANN community;

Whereas, the Board responds to the Ombudsman Report as follows:

It is hereby RESOLVED (2010.02.04.16) that the Board affirms that all
participants in ICANN are expected to adhere to the Expected Standards of
Behavior as published in the ICANN Accountability & Transparency:
Frameworks and Principles, found at:
http://www.icann.org/en/transparency/acct-trans-frameworks-principles-10jan0
8.pdf.

It is further RESOLVED (2010.02.04.17) that the Board requests that the CEO
direct ICANN Staff to provide at least annual reminders of the Expected
Standards of Behavior to the membership of ICANN's supporting organizations
and advisory committees, and to consider the other proposals by the
Ombudsman to enhance civility.

One Board member abstained from voting on these resolutions. All other Board
members in attendance voted in favor of these resolutions.

         1. Update on IDNs

The Board received an update from staff on the progress of the IDN ccTLD
Fast Track requests and the recent announcement of four requestors
successfully completing the string evaluation stage.

         1. New gTLDs: Vertical Integration

Prior to any discussion on this matter, the Chair identified Board members
and liaisons with conflicts of interest on this issue. The non-conflicted
Board members approved a motion to request that two directors, and four
liaisons withdraw from participation in the discussion due to their
conflicts of interest. After confirmation of removal, the Board proceeded
with discussion on the matter.

The Board received an update from staff, including a draft of an economic
model from economists contracted by ICANN relating to the on the ongoing
community work, study and review of the registry/registrar separation
requirement and the ongoing expert economist work on the issue. Staff
presented a draft economic model to the board and recommended that it be
posted for public comment. The Board discussed some of the economic theories
and assumptions behind the economist's work, and there was a discussion of
additional work that might need to be done on this matter, as well as a
sense of the Board that the model should not be published yet, pending
further review and consideration.
The CEO and Chairman agreed to convene on a review of the model and what
additional steps could be taken. Staff advised the Board that a delay of
Board consideration of this issue might delay the timeline of the new gTLD
program. Following on from various board member comments, the CEO requested
that any assumptions or market theories (or comments on the assumptions and
market theories), that had not been considered or were within the draft
model, should be provided to the CEO and Chair to enable additional work on
the model.

After the close of discussion, all Board members and liaisons were invited
back into the meeting.

         1. Any Other Business

The Board requested an update from staff on the status of the reviews called
for within the Affirmation of Commitments, and that public comments are
still being received on the proposed methodology for the reviews. The Chair
requested that all Board members and liaisons encourage applications for the
volunteer review panel positions.

Meeting was adjourned at 0640 UTC.
>
> Harry
>

--
Cheers,

McTim
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route
indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel